Where the Rich Go to Die
by madisontaylor22
Summary: Rick and the group stumble upon a mansion on their travels to Washington. The seemingly perfect life the survivors entail is enough to suck them in, but will it spit them out in one piece? Rick/OC. Teen rating for now.
1. Prologue

"Where the Rich go to Die"

Prologue.

It was sunny outside. The sky was a deep blue and was dotted with white puffy clouds that strolled along at a casual pace. A women in her late twenties lay back on a lounge chair, a sunhat covering her face and a condensing glass of lemonade in her hand. A man sat a little ways away from her, slouching in his beach chair and reading a novel. He licked his fingers every so often to turn the page, but other than that, there were no other disturbances.

When the blonde woman had had enough of the sun, she placed her two feet in the blue water of the pool stretched out in front of them. The water was cold, but felt good against her burning skin. The water rippled out from where she'd entered, but other than that, there were no other disturbances.

There were two other people living in the house. One, a shorter man in his mid-thirties sat upon a makeshift lookout in the backyard, beyond the pool. There was a large rifle in his hand, but he was invested in the old Sports Illustrated magazine that lie open on the small table before him. He cleaned his weapon, and flipped the pages, but other than that, there were no other disturbances.

Another girl sat at the kitchen table. The windows were large and she could see the man and the woman sitting out by the pool. The girl, another in her twenties, focused heavily on painting her left hand. She had chosen a deep red, the color of roses. The color of an apple. The color of blood. Every so often the girl switched her position to gain better angles of her nails, but other than that, there were no other disturbances.

There was a group about ten miles away from the house with the swimming pool. There was a man with his son and his baby. There was an Asian boy and a farm girl. Two African American women and a young African American boy. There was a crossbow-wheeling man and a gun-slinging older woman. A red haired man and two dark haired girls. A priest and a young blonde girl. There was a man with a mullet. They walked along the road, their tired feet dragging against the asphalt.

And there, there were plenty of disturbances.

_A/N: Okay, so I'm totally just trialing this for a story. I always kind of wondered about the rich people and where they would go or what they would do during an apocolypse. And I've been totally into Rick and him finding another relationship besides Lori. Perhaps a better woman, in fact. (Sorry that you suck, Lori). It's also set pretty much right where the group left off, in the new season… I'm taking it my own way though. If this interests you, please leave me a comment or a favorite and I'll know whether or not to let it continue. Love you guys. Xx _

_Oh, and I tried to write this without Beth… I really did… (BETH IS STILL ALIVE IN THIS STORY BECAUSE SHE'S PERFECT AND DESERVES IT.)_


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

Mia stood on the back deck, her sundress floating delicately in the breeze. She waved her hand at Jim, who sat with his feet up in the Watcher's Hut. He threw up a lazy hand in response and then flipped the page of an old fishing magazine. Mia walked back inside and sat on the kitchen counter.

"You know how Michael gets when we sit on the countertops," a girl with strawberry blonde hair commented from her place at the kitchen table. She was analyzing her perfectly manicured fingernails. "Are you sure you won't let me paint your nails? God, I could've made a career out of this if the world wasn't the way it was."

"If you paint my nails they'll chip off in an hour. I do all the barn work, if you haven't forgotten." Mia stretched and jumped off the counter, wondering if the man in the office would appreciate a glass of water.

"I said I would help," the girl countered, narrowing her green eyes at Mia.

"Yeah and you were almost useful until you broke the barn door."

"I didn't know it slid open, okay?" she looked back at her nails and smiled.

Mia chuckled and ran a hand through her blonde hair. It dried wavy after she'd taken a dip in the pool. "I think I'll go for a drive."

"Ooh, take me!" The girl shot her hand up in the air and skipped to the key drawer. "Audi today?" she smiled mischievously.

Mia considered this. "Let's take the Hummer."

…

Mia pulled out of the garage and sped down the driveway effortlessly. She waited as her friend opened their intensified double-duty gates that Michael had ordered specially made. As if he knew this would happen. Janice hopped back into the passenger seat and put on a pair of black sunglasses she'd pulled out of the glove compartment. With a curt nod, Mia pulled out onto the road.

Michael liked his group to take the cars for drives once in a while. He didn't want their batteries to die from lack of use. There wasn't any place they needed to go, usually, so Mia usually just drove up the highway, and then back again. She didn't know what was so special about driving like this, but she felt it was freeing, and it go her away from the house for a little. Plus, sometimes Mia would listen for other survivors.

She was speeding down the road, deafened by the Metallica CD that blared through the large speakers in the large car. Janice threw up her arms as if she were on a roller coaster and let out a cheer. Whatever the satisfaction was of driving on deserted roads, Janice felt it too.

It wasn't until Mia saw the boy that she realized there was a large group of people in the road. Mia quickly stepped on the brakes sending Janice almost soaring through the windshield. When the car came to a stop, Janice covered her heart breathlessly and her eyes were filled with fear.

"What the Hell, Mia?!

But Mia's eyes were trained on the road ahead of her. She reached blindly into the backseat where a rifle lay stiffly across the row. Janice finally seemed to notice the danger, and pulled the pistol out of her belt. She and Mia looked at each other. "Ready?" Janice muttered, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. Mia nodded and opened her door, pointing the rifle straight at the group of people.

Before they could speak, however, the man in the front put up his hands in surrender. "We're okay," he said. "We're friendly." His voice was hoarse.

Mia's eyes flittered from him to the entire group. It was a rather large group, the largest group of survivors she had seen since the outbreak. Almost every member of the group was armed by guns (and one, by a crossbow), except for a young boy who was holding a baby.

A baby. Mia felt like it'd been years since she'd seen one.

"Janice," Mia's voice was soft. "Put your gun down."

"What? Are you crazy? That guy has a crossbow pointed at my head!" she paused for a moment and then scrunched up her nose. "And the other has a mullet!"

Mia rolled her eyes and took her finger off the trigger steadily. She slowly and gently reached down to place her gun on the ground. With one more look of apprehension, Janice followed her move.

"Now we'd appreciate if your group would do the same," Mia shouted. The man in the front gave his comrades a short nod, and they all lowered their weapons to the ground.

"Who are you?" Janice asked. She had a feminine black business jacket on with a pair of black slacks. Mia had changed from her sundress into a pair of dark jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt. The other groups' clothes were tattered and torn. Bloody. They looked like they'd been through Hell.

"I'm Rick," the man in front was still speaking for the rest of them. This is my son Carl, and my daughter Judith." He motioned to the boy holding the baby. After a long list of other names that Mia wasn't sure she'd remember, the man in front glanced at the car. He was tense. "We need help."

"Why should we help you," Mia's eyes lingered on each of the members.

Rick didn't hesitate. "We're good people."

"Hate to break it to you man, but good people get shit in this world." Janice put her hands on her hips. Mia gave her a nasty side-glance and Janice shrugged. "What, it's true."

"They have a baby," Mia warned, looking at the sweet girl in Carl's arms. She looked towards the back of the group. "And a priest."

"Not our problem," Janice returned Mia's attitude.

"We can help them," Mia added.

"Michael will kill you."

"I'll deal with Michael." Mia took a step forward. "I'm going to help you." She stared into the leader's eyes. "Don't make me regret it."

She turned to Janice and nodded. The woman shrugged. "You're the boss."

"You might have to squeeze in," Mia tried to count how many people they had, but they all started moving to get into the car before Mia could try.

"We'll be fine," Rick replied. Mia went to grab her gun and when she'd picked it up, Rick placed a hand on her arm. "Thank you."

Mia nodded, noting the sincerity in the man's striking blue eyes. She hopped into the driver's seat while the rest struggled to fit into the back. Janice got into the passenger seat and held onto Mia's rifle and her own pistol.

They rode back to the house in silence. Janice got out of the car only once to open and close the gate, and then to scatter bleach where she had been to try to hide the scent. The new group members looked at Mia like they were crazy. "It's just a precaution.

Mia stopped the car outside the garage and let them all get out, before getting out herself.

"Jan, stay here with them. I'll go let Michael know we have guests."

Jan glanced at the group. "Good luck."

...

Mia found the man in his office, writing in his journal like he usually was. He was wearing a grey suit. His dark brown hair was gelled back. His strong jaw had just a little bit of stubble covering it. His lips moved slightly as he wrote. "Michael."

The man barely looked up from his desk but motioned for her to enter. "What is it, Mia?"

"Jan and I took a drive. We met some survivors." Michael looked up at this information and slowly put his pencil down.

"How many," he stood up from his desk and began pacing the room slowly.

"There are about twelve." Mia silently wished she did a better job counting.

"Kids? Seniors?"

"A young boy. He's probably around 14. A baby and-"

"A baby?" Michael scratched his stubbed chin and stood up. "I imagine they're here."

"Yes. I couldn't leave them."

Michael looked at her and chuckled, making his way closer to her. He cupped her jaw in his hand and smiled. "Well, bring them in."

Mia nodded and he dropped his hand. "Have them all take a bath and make sure they have new clothes. We'll have dinner tonight. You and Jan can prepare."

Mia nodded once again and then made her way back to the door when she heard him call her name again.

"Oh and Mia?" She stopped and turned. "Remind them of the rules."


	3. Chapter Two

Thank you to everyone who has followed my story! Please leave a review, I would so appreciate it!

Chapter Two

Mia had sent each of their new guests into separate areas to have their baths and gave them each clothing options from either Michaels vast collection, Jims, Jan's, or her own. She unfortunately did not have any children's or baby's clothes so she attempted to wash Judith, Carl, Noah, and Beth's worn outfits in a bucket.

"What's up?" Jim jumped over the deck railing and watched curiously as Mia laid a tiny wet shirt on the rail.

"We have guests." Mia replied.

"Dwarves?" He said, looking down at the small shirt. Mia stifled a laugh.

"A baby, Jim. There's about twelve of them."

"Twelve babies?! Are you kidding me?"

Mia laughed a real laugh this time and Jim chuckled. "I'm just playing. What's that smell? Are you making something for dinner?"

"Jan's starting it."

"Damn it, Mia. You can't put that woman in charge of meals!" He rolled his eyes lightheartedly and made his way inside.

The door opened and closed again. "Back already?" Mia assumed it was Jim, but she heard the clank of boots on the deck and knew better. Jim wasn't a cowboy boot type of guy.

She turned and saw their leader walking towards her. He looked better now, his beard shaved down to a mere stubble and he was wearing one of Michael's plain white shirts and some dark jeans. For his age, Mia felt strangely attracted to the man.

"Sorry to bother you" he started. "I just wanted to thank you again. My group hasn't even seen clean water like that in some time."

Mia smiled and continued washing the clothes. "Well, I would say you're welcome, but I can't take all the credit. You'll have to thank Michael."

"I guess I will. Where is Michael?" Mia could sense apprehension in the man's voice and so she turned and shook her head.

"There's nothing to worry about. You're good people? Well, we're good people too. Michael is in his office. You'll meet him at dinner."

The sliding door opened and closed again and Jim reemerged with the crossbow wielding man at his side. He was talking to him about the Watcher's Hut. The stranger gave Mia a small nod but followed as Jim led him to get a better view.

"This property is…" Rick stopped and rubbed his chin, shaking his head as if lost for words.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Mia smiled at the acres and acres of land.

"A miracle," Rick answered, glancing at the girl again.

"It's been that for a lot of people."

"Are you and Michael..?" He trailed off and Mia shook her head laughing.

"We're not together or anything. I met him after the outbreak. In fact, I was lucky enough to find this place almost immediately. Jan and I used to live together. Jim showed up a week later."

"And Michael just takes all these people in?"

"Not exactly." Mia picked up one of the strangers' shirts and winced at the blood that was soaking into her pruned fingers as she rung it out. "He's good at analyzing people. I should warn you that tonight, he will analyze you. And he'll decide if you're fit for our house."

"And if we're not?" Rick's arms tensed and he tightened his grip on the railing

"He'll give you a few bottles of water, some food, and he'll send you on your way."

"He's generous then."

"Look at what he has. He knows the difference between what he has and what others don't. He offers the water and food as a peace offering. He assumes if he gives them some items to get by, then they won't come back holding a grudge."

"He knows that not all people are gonna be like that?"

"He likes to see the best of the world. It's his heroes flaw."

"How does-"

"Why don't you save some questions for the dinner itself?" Mia smiled and looked up at the man who seemed to be lost in thought. "I have a feeling Michael is not going to be the only one analyzing tonight."

Rick looked over at the girl and silently agreed. He knew his people and he knew they would not stay unless it was understood there would be no more danger.

"We could use some new people," Mia said softly. She looked out at Jim who was curiously looking over the new man's crossbow. "We're all friends here, but tensions get high. This is a big place. And sometimes I think I'm the only one who isn't one hundred percent sure it can hold up against those things out there."

"I imagine Michael hasn't really seen the worst of it."

"And I imagine you have," Mia turned to Rick. "That's why I think you should stay. Michael thinks he knows best, but he doesn't. Not about everything. Plus having some extra hands around the house wouldn't be so bad."

The sliding glass door opened and closed behind them and the boy, Carl came out holding a puppy."

"Dad look, dogs," he handed his father the small Doberman pup and Rick smiled as it attempted to wriggle out of his grasp.

"We found some dogs before things got really bad. We don't have the tools to fix them," Mia shrugged and patted the dog on his head. "You know they can tell the difference?" She added to Carl.

"Between?"

"The living and the dead."

Even Rick looked up at that. "How do you figure?"

We experimented. We took a few of the dogs out one at a time. They went crazy at the dead, but they didn't go after us."

"The dogs out there are dangerous," Carl took the pup back from his dad and without saying goodbye, re-entered the home.

"I better go make sure he doesn't let all the dogs out," Rick excused himself and followed his sons' steps back into the house.

"The dogs hang out in the basement," Mia told him before grabbing her now washed bucket of clothes and making her way to the lawn to hang them to dry. She took her time until Jan came out and offered to take over her job so she could go change.

Mia gladly took the break and climbed up a set of sets to make her way into her spacious bedroom. There were large, French-styled, windows that overlooked the backyard. The windows let in the light from the deepening sunset, making her room glow a pale orange. She wiped the sweat off her brow with a cloth and tied her blonde hair into a low bun. Climbing out of her jeans and shirt, she threw on a simple black dress that Michael had said belonged to his ex-wife. She grabbed a necklace of pearls, Michael's favorite on her, and made her way downstairs.

Everyone was already seated at the table, besides Michael. She knew he liked to make an entrance. She couldn't help but notice Rick's double glance as she entered the room. Feeling strangely confident, she took her seat next to Michael's, at the head of the table.

The bowls of stew were still hot, and steam danced through the air from all of their table spots, except Judith's, who was enjoying a can of apple sauce. Mia sat next to the young Asian boy who introduced himself as Glenn, and was accompanied by his fiancée Maggie, who sat next to him. She sat across from Jim, who was seated beside Jan. Carl sat opposite Michael's chair.

Mia could hear the doors of Michael's office open and close again with a loud bang that echoed throughout the enormous house. She heard his dress shoes step patiently as he made his way to the dining room. He entered the room wearing a dark grey suit now, his face cleanly shaven and he smelled of cologne. He clasped his hands together and smiled. "By all means, don't wait for me. Go ahead and dig in."

His words were met with silence, however, so Mia took it upon herself to dip her spoon into the bowl first. Others began to mirror her move. Michael sat down and pressed a glass of wine under his nose. "Anyone else?" He stuck the glass up in the air as an invitation. Nobody moved.

"Don't be strangers," he said, but his eyes were narrowed in almost a warning. Mia locked eyes with Rick across the room and bit her lip. He seemed to understand her cue.

"I'll have a glass." His Southern-accent was opposite Michael's distinguished one.

"Splendid!" Michael jolted to his wine chamber and pulled out a bottle. He blew the dust off it and showed it to Rick. "It's a very old red wine."

Without waiting for Rick's approval, he uncorked the wine and poured it so that it filled half of Rick's glass.

"Anyone else?"

Carl raised his hand tentatively and Michael let out a booming laugh. "I don't think a boy like you would much appreciate the taste of wine. Perhaps a rum and coke would suit you better?" He looked at Rick and Carl smiled hopefully.

"Only a little bit." Mia couldn't tell if he was allowing this just because of Michael's test.

While Michael disappeared to grab the rum and a bottle of Coke, the group relaxed somewhat and Sasha, Maggie and Glenn both poured themselves a little bit of wine. After Michael had given the two bottles to Rick, even the crossbow man, Daryl, poured himself a small glass of rum. Mia noticed him shrug after Carol, the older woman next to him, gave him a sidelong glance.

"I have so many questions," Michael sang as he made his way back to his chair.

"And we, you," Rick spoke.

"No wine for you, Jan?" Michael ignored Rick and Jan smiled and shook her head. "Trying to impress company?"

She laughed. "If I wanted to impress them I'd drink the wine and then show them how I can burp the alphabet"

Mia almost choked on her water and Jan got a few laughs in response.

"And you, Mia?" His look to her was more severe.

"I'll need a clear head tonight. I have watch."

"Always the responsible one." He chuckled and Mia looked across at Jan who rolled her eyes.

"So, let me entertain your questions," Michael took a sip of wine and blew on his stew. "Anything. Go."

Rick opened his mouth but Michael waved him off.

"You, you're their leader, I presume? I'd like to hear from the others." It was not a request.

Rick closed his mouth again. Mia could feel his eyes against her but she did not look back. She knew Michael was watching. She heard a voice perk up and saw the older woman, Carol starting to talk.

"Well, I think we're all wondering… How did you do it?" She asked plain and simply. "It's almost as if you were prepared." There was an accusatory tone to her voice and Michael noticed.

"Well, Carol, it is Carol isn't it?" She nodded. Mia knew just how charming Michael could be. "I guess I can't just tell you I can see the future and expect you to believe that. The truth is, I know people. I have connections all over the world. So in a way, yes, I was prepared."

"And you didn't warn anyone else?" Glenn spoke from next to Mia.

"Oh it was not my place to say. The government was not entirely hasty to start a worldwide panic. They offered me their services if I kept my mouth shut."

"What kind of services?" Michonne spoke up now, her voice low and her eyes slightly narrowed.

"Security. They upgraded my home's security to be, virtually, indestructible. They gave me apocalypse worthy food items and drinks. See now, I thought all those doomsday preppers were crazy on Animal Planet. Turns out they were the smart ones." He laughed and took a larger sip of his wine.

"And you lived alone here?" Maggie glanced at Mia, Jim, and Jan.

"Unfortunately my wife and I separated a few months before the outbreak. She decided to fly to Paris and stay with her mother. So yes, just me." Mia noticed his hand tightened around his glass. Mia hoped Rick noticed too.

"So how did they get here?" Sasha nodded in the trio's direction. Jan gave Mia a look to suggest she was personally offended.

There was a brief pause of silence until Mia realized that Michael was looking at her. "I believe that question was indirectly directed at you. In fact, let's have some introductions, shall we?" He motioned at Mia. "Go ahead."

"Okay..." Mia trailed off awkwardly and Jan was fighting to hold in laughter like a child. "I came here with Jan. We met Michael right after the outbreak went public. He took us in right away. We do what we're told and we help out."

Mia stopped talking but Michael urged her to go on. "That doesn't tell us anything about who you are."

Mia tried to hold in her anger at him for treating her like a child in front of these new people. It was her turn to tighten her grip on her glass. She looked at Jan whose eyes were now streaming with tears from laughter.

"I was born in Florida. I came up here for college. I was studying English literature. I don't know where my parents are. I don't know where my brother is. Here, I deal with the farm work. I work the horses, the cattle, and the chicken... Are you happy?" She cocked her head angrily at Michael and he smiled at her anger.

"Somewhat."

Jan introduced herself as she was. She grew up here, was roomies with Mia her freshman year and they had been friends ever since. She was studying criminal justice in college. She wanted to be a detective. She was an only child and her parents were also "M.I.A.", as she put it.

Jim was next and his summary was short and sweet. His father was a farmer, and he was a mechanic. He dropped out of college but he thought he was pretty smart. His parents were dead and his sister was too.

"And you?" Rick said from the end of the table.

"Rick, you already know who I am," he chuckled. "I'm Michael Winston. I own Winston Inc. and was the heir to a very large amount of money my father left to me before he died in a tragic cliff diving accident." He shook his head and took a drink, as if in memory.

Mia took this moment to look at Rick. She was surprised to see he was already looking at her. Blushing, she looked back down at her hands.

"Are we gonna go round introducing everyone else?" Daryl spoke from his seat. "Cause if so, I'm gonna need more rum."

Mia and the rest laughed as he lifted the bottle of empty rum and just a small drop slipped out.

"Can we stay?" She heard a soft voice ask from down her row. It was the young African American boy named Noah. He was sitting next to a skinny blonde girl who had her hair braided.

Michael thought for a moment and then placed his hand on Mia's. Mia caught his eye and he smiled and nodded. As if they had just had their own conversation that no one else could hear.

"You may stay, if you'd like."

The group all turned to Rick and he shrugged and nodded. "It seems secure."

"You will find my manor extremely secure. I imagine Mia already stated my rules, so I will not bore you with those..."

Mia froze. The rules. She'd forgotten.

Carol looked around, clueless. "What rules? We weren't told any rules."

The room went deathly quiet in an instant. Mia could hear the pound before it actually happened. Michael slammed his fist against the table. Jan stood up halfway, as did Jim, but after a moment of recollection, Michael seemed to calm himself and he forced a smile.

"I-I forgot." Mia stated, not daring to look at him.

"Yes. It seems you did. And I think Jan has forgotten to do the dishes tonight. You can do them Mia. And Jim, you will tell them my rules. I will be in my office. Do not bother me." He left the table without another word and the room remained quiet for a few moments before Jan burst into laughter.

"Jan, shut up." Mia stood from her seat and glared at her friend.

"But how could you forget!?" She was still laughing. Jim stifled a chuckle but put his hand on Jan's shoulder to tell her to calm down.

"There was too much going on." Mia faintly remembered Michael's hand cup her chin and she pushed the thought away.

"Oh Mia... Hey group," Jan snorted. "That's rule number one. Don't forget shit!" She burst into hysterics again and Mia took the opportunity to hastily bring her and Michael's dishes into the kitchen, "accidentally" hitting Jan on the head on her way out.

She began scrubbing the dishes, muttering to herself all the while until she felt a presence next to her. "You shouldn't let him talk to you like that." The voice had a southern accent.

Mia turned to see Maggie, her cropped brown hair was freshly washed and she offered a small smile along with the rest of the tables' dishes.

"It's alright," Mia replied.

"Do you really have horses here?" Mia didn't notice the young blonde girl had entered the kitchen as well.

"Beth," Maggie warned but then looked up at Mia. "This is my sister. Beth."

"Nice to meet you," Mia continued to scrub. "And yes we do," she replied. "Why, you ride?"

"Me and Maggie used to have horses back at our daddy's farm. We know how to take care of them and everythin'."

Mia smiled. "Good. Cause Jan's not good at a lot but she's definitely not good with horses. I could use some help with them."

Beth smiled and inched her way forward to help with the dishes but Mia shook her head and stopped her.

"It's okay, I can handle it."

Maggie and Beth then excused themselves back to the dining room, wondering if Michael would raise his voice again if he had seen Beth's attempt at helping.

_Michael's Rules:_

_Rule Number One: Don't forget your duties._

…

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I will add the rules as the group finds them out. Please read and review!


	4. Chapter Three

A/N: Thank you so much for everyone who continues to follow, favorite and review! Special shout out goes to Dreamwritten for your lovely comment! Please keep them coming! I hope you like this chapter and please review!

xx

Chapter Three

All Mia wanted to do was head upstairs and change in her pajamas and go to bed. Her hands were still pruned from washing the dishes and she could use a nice bath. But she changed into a pair of black pants and a black shirt and then went to head back downstairs where she met Daryl, Rick, Michonne and Carol huddled together in the family room. She almost felt suspicious until Jim made his way into the room with some written descriptions of jobs that Jan had written down in case they needed further explanation.

"Jan's taking your shift tonight, Mia."

"She can't," Mia started, but immediately shut her mouth when Jan entered the room. She was dressed in all black, her hair tied up under a black cap that Mia wore sometimes during watch. They looked identical.

"This is weird…" Jan cocked her head skeptically at Mia and Mia mirrored her action humorously.

"Okay, you two look the same. We get it. Now Mia go take a bath, you smell like shit." Jim sat down on the end table in front of the other group members.

"Okay, rude." Mia smiled though, thanked Jan, and said goodnight to the others before heading upstairs to draw a bath. Over time, Jim had come up with a system that collected rainwater in chutes that could be used for washing. The water was never hot, but during the spring and summer time, would at least be lukewarm, and Mia could handle that over smelling terribly. Mia grabbed her shampoo, conditioner, and body wash she had stolen from a raid in a nearby neighborhood with Jim and Jan. She also felt the need to grab a razor, knowing now that she wasn't just sharing the house with two people who she had known for quite a while.

She took her time in the bath, making sure to scrub and rinse, taking special care to check for ticks that would sometimes cling to her from out in the barn. She was bug-free tonight, and for a while, sat soapy and pruned in the bathtub, her knees bent in front of her. She thought about the day's events. She thought about the new people. She thought about Jan and Jim. She thought about Rick. She thought about Michael. She thought about the way he grabbed her chin. She thought about Rick. She thought about Michael slamming his fist on the table. She thought about Rick.

Before long, she was not thinking about anything at all. Her soft breaths gently turned to deep breathing, and her head fell back against the wall, her eyes shut tight. She was sleeping. Every so often a finger twitched as her brain dreamt sweet dreams of her life before the outbreak. Her illusions remained uninterrupted when another figure entered the room, much later. He was holding a lit candle in one hand, and a loaded pistol in the other, but he did not see her in the dim light. He used the facilities, totally unaware of the other body in the room. And then her hand slipped off the bath siding, and made a soft splash into the now chilled water.

Rick started, immediately grabbing for the pistol on the counter. He walked slowly to the tub where he could just make out the outline of a head. His footsteps were silent, and his breathing steady. His right hand lifted the pistol up, his left reached for the shower curtain.

It was Mia. Rick felt his tense muscles relax somewhat, and then tense right up again. _It was Mia._ She was there, right in front of him. Her arms floated gently atop the water, her eyelids fluttered slightly in her sleep. She was beautiful.

Rick had not thought of another woman since Lori had passed. Or rather, he never had _time_ to think of another women since Lori had passed. But Mia had caught his eye from the moment she stepped out of that Hummer. She was strong, and she was undeniably beautiful. He had even heard Abraham mutter about how gorgeous she was, earning him a slap in the wrist by Rosita. He couldn't deny the attraction he felt for her.

But he also couldn't deny that she was twenty-seven years old. She was young. He was not. Not anymore. And he saw the way that Michael looked at her. And the way that Michael looked at him when he caught Rick looking at her. He knew something wasn't right. Carol had noticed him taking an interest in their relationship. She advised Rick to leave their business to them, if they wanted to stay. And he would try. For his group's sake. But seeing her now, purely angelic, as her figure lay still and suspended in the water, it was almost too much to bear. He looked around the dark room. He figured he ought to go find Jan and tell her to wake her up. But he also figured that would be a waste of time. They were both adults.

He grabbed her towel that lay on the bathroom sink and then cleared his throat. Almost no sound came out, and he tried again, this time, louder. But Mia was already awake, and she was looking at him.

"I'm so sorry," he struggled for words, looking away and pushing the towel in her direction. "You fell asleep…"

"I wasn't asleep." Her voice was different. It was deeper.

Rick turned to look at her. She was the same Mia.

"I was waiting for you Rick," she smiled. "I'm still waiting for you, Rick."

Rick's blood ran cold when heard her voice. And Mia opened her mouth and laughed. It was Lori. The voice. It was Lori. He fell to his knees, the towel slipping from his fingers. "Lori," he breathed.

"Come to me," Mia leaned forward, her damp forehead barely touching Rick's. He longed for her to kiss him. To wrap him in her arms. He wanted to be with her. "Who do you want, Rick?"

Lori.

But Lori was gone.

He wanted Mia.

He had to let go. He had to let go of her, once and for all.

He slowly opened his eyes. He told her what he wanted.

And she bit a hole into his neck.

…

Rick woke up abruptly, the blankets thrashed around him. He was in a large bed. He was in _his _bed. His bed at Michael's house. His shirt was damp with sweat and his head hurt from the nightmare he had just succumbed too. He quickly ran a hand over his neck to check for a bite mark. Of course, it was not there. He was being ridiculous. But he knew, even now, that it would be even more ridiculous to try and go back to sleep. He sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his temples and hoping his headache would go away.

There was a makeshift crib across from Rick's bed and he got up to check on Judith. She was asleep now, and would stay asleep until morning. He was lucky for that. He quietly walked from his room, not daring to relive his dream in the bathroom, and made his way downstairs.

The kitchen was different at night. In the daytime, it was inviting and friendly. Now, it was dark and sent chills down the older man's spine. He wondered if he should check on Carl, but he knew his son would be sleeping just fine, sharing the room with Noah. He grabbed a small water bottle from the cupboard and sat down at the table. He lit a candle in the center.

"You know it's the middle of the night, right?"

The voice almost made him jump in fear. He whipped around, reaching for his pistol, until he realized it was still upstairs in his room. But he heard a small laugh and realized it was Jan. Her dark outfit blended in with the darkness of the room.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." She reached into the same cupboard he had reached into and grabbed a bottle of water for herself. "How are you guys liking it here?"

Rick took a deep breath and hoped his voice didn't shake when he talked. "It's different," he replied. "We've never felt safe like this before."

"Yeah, judging by your looks, Mia and I had guessed you'd been through it all. It is different here," she confirmed.

"You always feel safe here?" Rick tried to play safe. He wanted more information on the houses' owner.

"Yeah, pretty much. She took a huge gulp of water and shrugged. "There was one time we spotted a hoard. I know Mia was freaking out. We just lay quiet for a few days, took all the animals inside. It was stinky, but it got the job done. The hoard went right past us."

"Was Michael worried?" He couldn't help himself.

Jan smiled. "There it is."

"What?" he asked, clearing his throat.

"You're playing with fire, you know that?" she leaned against the counter, the same smile spread across her face. "There was a time I thought Jim had a crush on Mia. Hell, even _I _had a crush on Mia. That was college, but whatever," she shook her head and moved on quickly. "Anyway, Michael will set you straight every time."

"She said they weren't together. 'Nd I don't have a crush." He wasn't some high school boy.

"Okay, lust, desire, whatever you wanna call it. And," She paused for a moment as if to choose her words carefully. "Mia and Michael's relationship is… complicated. Michael was born into a very wealthy family, and when he has things, he considers them his."

"Are _you_ his?"

Jan narrowed her eyes playfully. "I'm nobody's. And neither is Mia."

"But you just said-"

"Think about what I said, Cowboy. You'll figure it out eventually." She finished her water in another gulp, crushed the bottle and threw it into the can in the corner of the room. "Hey, if it makes any difference, I've always thought southern accents were cute. I'm on your side," she winked, and then headed back out the sliding door to her post on the watcher's hut.

Rick sat at the countertop feeling more confused then he had when he had first come downstairs. So there was a relationship between the two of them, but it was complicated. And he wanted her, but she didn't want him? His head throbbed. He finished his water. He threw it in the can. And then he headed back upstairs, avoiding the bathroom all the while.


	5. Chapter Four

A/N: Thank you SO much for the follows and reviews! Special thank you to hellodaydreamer for the review! Please, please review! I would really appreciate some feedback… I hope you like this next chapter!

Chapter Four

Mia woke up at 5 AM. She lazily scrunched her hair in her mirror, adding a little curl and body to it. She made a mental note to ask Jan to cut it for her again. As satisfied as she could be with the outcome, she headed to her wardrobe, pulling out a navy blue tank top and a pair of light cut-off jeans. She put on her work boots, grabbed a baseball cap and made her way downstairs. She was surprised to see almost every member of Rick's group in the kitchen. Jim and Jan were sharing a can of pineapples in the corner of the room.

"Good morning," Beth called from across the room. She leaned against the counter nonchalantly, her long hair braided over her shoulder. The others turned towards her and began to recite their good mornings as well, and Mia attempted to reply to everyone's before heading towards her friends in the corner.

"I don't know if I'll get used to this," Mia grumbled, pulling down a can of pineapples for herself.

"Oh I know," Jan rolled her eyes. "It's so weird having friendly, well-mannered people in this house." Jim hit her in her shoulder playfully.

"I meant how many of them there are," Mia objected, rolling her eyes.

"It'll be nice," Jim said.

"Yeah, it sure will be nice to have some helping hands around the house. And not just manicured spoiled ones, either," Mia gave a look to Jan who shrugged.

Mia found herself scanning the room for any sight of Rick but didn't see him. She felt the unfortunate feeling of disappointment rising in her chest. She tried to push it away. "Are they all here?" she asked tentatively.

"If you're looking for Rick, no. He's not down yet." Jan smiled at the look of surprise on Mia's face. "I think he had a long night. With the baby and stuff," she added quickly. Mia raised her eyebrows in suspicion but did not press the topic further.

"Alright, well I better get started." When she turned back towards the group, she saw Rick making his way down the stairs, his longer hair pushed back and his face still spotted with stubble. This day he wore one of Michael's old black t-shirts and a pair of dark jeans and his own boots.

Mia attempted to catch the man's eye, but it almost seemed like he was doing everything within his power to avoid her look. The disappointment climbing swiftly back into her chest, she tossed her can of fruit away and slipped out of the room down to the barn to take care of the animals. Although she liked having the others around, she knew she'd have to get used to a place with more people then just Jan and Jim and Michael.

She took her time down at the barn, where she checked on the horses that had full access from the barn and out into their fields. She fed the chickens, the pigs, and then threw out a bale of hay for the horses to munch on. She opened the feed bucket and her heart sank to find there was only a little left. Jim must've finished it off, without letting Mia know. Putting the thought aside of having to ask Michael to go out for a supply run, she headed out to the field to muck the manure the horses and cattle left behind.

The sun was hot on her back when she heard the steady sound of footsteps coming from behind. She turned and saw Rick heading towards her. He was eyeing one of the stallions in the corner of the field, his hand resting on his gun. He looked handsome. Very handsome. Mia had to force herself to look away and instead focused on the manure lying on the ground before her.

"Hey, Mia," he greeted her.

"Hey Rick," Mia dug the shovel into the ground and leaned on the handle. She felt very aware of the sweat pouring down her face and back. "What's up?"

"We need'ta go on a run," Rick said, avoiding her gaze.

Mia started. "That's against-"

"I know it's against Michael's rules," he interrupted her, his voice sharp. "But we need to get stuff for Judith. Beth, Carl, and Noah could use some clothes too. Michael was generous but they don't fit the kids."

Mia sighed. She knew this would happen. "Who's going?"

He seemed surprised that she didn't attempt to argue more, and he finally looked at her. "Me, Glenn, Daryl. Maybe Michonne. We just need a few people."

"Okay. I'm coming with you."

He cocked his head at her. "I thought this was against-"

"I guess sometimes you gotta break the rules a little bit," she looked across the field. "I need more feed for the animals. And if my assumptions are correct, that mare-" she pointed towards a beautiful silver Paso Fino horse- "is pregnant. She'll need some vitamins."

Rick nodded. "Alright. When do you want to leave?"

"As soon as possible. Michael stays in his office during the day. That's the best time to go."

"It's about noon. Let's say we eat something and then head out?"

"Sounds good to me. Let me just finish up here." She picked up the shovel and finished scooping up the waste. She was somewhat surprised when Rick followed her into the barn and waited patiently while she disposed of the manure.

He walked back up with her to the barn.

"How'd you sleep?" she attempted to make small talk. The walk back up to the house was pretty time-consuming; especially considering their walk up was on a hill.

"Good," Rick lied. "It's been a while since I've slept in a bed like that."

"Sometimes I think we have it too good here," Mia said softly.

"You are all lucky. We haven't had it this good in a long time. We've stayed at a smaller farm, a prison, out on the streets…"

"A prison?" Mia looked up at him, her eyebrows raised.

"It's a long story," the older man shook his head.

"I think we've got some time," she smiled up at him. He noticed just how perfect her smile was.

He was about to respond when Jan ran up to them from behind. She placed both her arms around Mia and Rick's waists, and squeezed herself in between them.

"What's up, kiddos? Am I missing anything?" she smiled mischievously.

"We were just talking about that one time last month when you thought the barn doors opened-" Mia started.

"Okay, okay, no need to bring up the dark times, okay?" she laughed and put her arms down. "So, still planning to go out?" she looked at Rick.

"You knew?" Mia questioned.

"Of course, Mia. I know everything. And a very cute crossbow-hauling redneck may or may not have let me in on the plan," she dramatically winked over at the Watcher's Hut where both Daryl and Jim sat checking over the perimeter.

"What do you think?" Mia asked her, ignoring her remark about Daryl.

"I think Michael will be pissed."

"Well he's going to have a heart attack when he finds out that I'm going too."

Jan stopped dead in her tracks. Mia and Rick slowed too. "Mia, you aren't serious"

"Jan, we need supplies too. If you haven't noticed, we have more people to support. And I need to get some more feed for the animals."

"He will kill you."

Rick noticed some fear behind her eyes. The first time he noticed Jan took anything truly seriously.

"No he won't," Rick said. His hand automatically fell to his pistol. "If we get back before evening, he may not even realize."

Jan gave Rick a hard stare for a moment almost to remind them of their talk the night before and then shook her head. "You're crazy. But okay. I'll play. I always do like to stir up a bit of trouble," she narrowed her eyes playfully.

They made it inside the house and Daryl came in shortly after. Maggie, Glenn, and Carol were already in the kitchen. "I'm coming," Maggie was saying sternly to her fiancé.

"Maggie, if too many people come it will be more obvious." Glenn was desperately trying to explain to the girl but she held her own.

"You expect me to let three guys pick out clothes for my baby sister?"

"She's got a good point there," Jan said as she walked to the pantry and pulled out two apples. She threw one to Mia.

"Mia's goin'" Rick said. Glenn, Maggie, Carol, and Daryl all turned their eyes to Mia who tentatively took a bite of apple. "And Glenn's got a point. We need this to be as unnoticeable as possible."

"Why, so we can please some guy that we don't even know?" Maggie's eyes were daggers. She turned back to Glenn. "I'm coming."

Glenn shrugged at Rick and Rick sighed. "Fine. Can we take two separate cars? We can split into two groups to get things done faster."

"Yeah, we can."

After Mia had finished her apple she led the group down to the garage. They'd decided that Mia, Rick, and Daryl would head over to the farm where Mia and Michael had looted most of their materials first, while Carol, Glenn, and Maggie would head to the market where there was a Wal-Mart connected to get some food supplies and clothes.

Mia drove the truck and gave the keys to the four-door silver 2005 Mercedes to Glenn. They set out at once.

"You think the huntin' over by that farm is good?" Daryl asked from the backseat.

"It may be. I've seen some deer over the perimeter of the house."

Daryl nodded. "I could go for some fresh meat," he muttered, staring out of the back window.

"How long have you guys known each other?" Mia asked, attempting to make small talk again.

"Since the beginnin'," Rick replied with a glance back at Daryl. "I met up with him in King County."

"Wow. Have you been with all these people since the beginning?"

"No." Daryl muttered from the back.

"Only me Carl, Daryl, Carol, and Glenn were together from the start."

"Maggie and Beth?"

"We met them at their dads farm."

"Ah, so that's how Glenn and Maggie met. They found love during an apocalypse," Mia smiled softly. "I guess that's one way to do it."

She was faintly aware that Rick looked at her but she did her best to ignore it.

"Alright. We're here," she said as she pulled into the farms driveway. "When we first got here there were about five walkers. We put them down though. Any others that we find just strayed I guess."

"Alright. Just be on the lookout," Rick said.

"Imma go huntin' while you two get the feed. See if I can't find anythin' good."

"Okay. Don't go too far," Rick warned.

Daryl hopped out of the car first, his crossbow poised. Signaling that the path to the barn was clear, he wandered behind a shed and out of sight into the wooded area. Mia secured her pistol in her belt and grabbed the crowbar she'd taken out of the trunk.

"Alright you go first," Rick said, checking the area.

Mia rolled her eyes and looked up at him. He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What?"

"If you wanted to look at my ass you could've just asked."

He shook his head, but he was smiling. "Just get goin'"

She half jogged over to the barn doors. Rick did his best to not stare at her backside while she ran, now that the thought was placed in his head.

She opened the doors. She and Michael had intentionally left them closed the last time she came, as to keep the walkers out. Mia entered the barn first, Rick right behind. They stood still for just a moment to listen for groaning. Mia was overly aware at just how close Rick was to her. All she could hear was his breathing. She needed to move, fast.

The barn was dark, the only light coming from the door that Mia had just slid open. She could hear scurrying and figured rats overran it now. There were about twenty stalls, but they were all empty. Mia and Michael had assumed that whoever had owned the barn had let the horses out when things had gotten really bad to give them a chance. At least, that was the best way to think about it.

After one more moment of listening for the dead, Mia walked directly to the door labeled "grain" and grabbed two large bags of horse feed and well as some vitamins on the shelf. Rick took the bags from her and lifted them over his shoulder and Mia took two of the smaller bags of chicken feed in the corner of the room. The last two bags, in fact.

"Alright, that's everything. I might check in the tack room for some boots and a helmet if Beth wants to start riding," Mia said.

"Let's bring these out first."

Mia and Rick crossed to the barn doors and lifted their bags and cans into the trunk.

She heard the groaning just after Rick had put his two bags into the trunk as well. They both turned at the same time and saw the walker slowly making it's way over to them.

He was ugly, half of his face lacked skin and one eye drooped slightly down his rotted face. His ankle appeared to be completely unattached to his calf. Mia winced and stepped forward, but Rick placed a hand on her arm.

She lifted her head to stand her ground, but let him take the lead. She supposed she did want to see just what exactly this man could do. He used one hand to push the head back and the other swung around to stab the walker in the side of the head. The body dropped lifelessly onto the ground. Rick walked back with what looked like a little swagger in his step.

Mia couldn't help but laugh. "Trying to show off?"

He paused for a moment and then smirked slightly. "Is it workin'?"

Mia hit his arm lightly and then headed back over to the barn.

She had Rick grab the last three bags of horse feed and then headed into the tack room. A rotted corpse still lie on the floor when Mia had put it down months before. She carefully stepped over its body and grabbed two helmets, and some old boots. She double glanced at a photo on the wall. It was of a mother and daughter, the daughter wearing a necklace of blue ribbons and a helmet. Mia looked back down at the corpse. Even though it was rotted, she could tell it was the mother. She bit her lip and jumped slightly when she heard a voice from behind.

"She looks like you," Rick said. He was looking at the mother. She was young, with brown hair. But her eyes were the same color green as Mia's and her face was almost identical. Mia smiled.

"I couldn't wait to be a mom," she admitted.

"You still can be, after this is all over."

"You really think this will end?" She turned so that she was facing him. The only window in the room was covered with so much dust barely any light could shine through. Mia was shocked at how radiantly blue Rick's eyes were, even in the dim light.

"It has to, doesn't it?" He paused. "If we've made it this long, there have got to be others. And I think believing there's a future is better then not."

"Maybe." She dropped her gaze from him. "I try not to get my hopes up."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean. If I ever get bitten, I don't want it to destroy me. I just want to believe that I did the best I could." She was staring down at the corpse. Maybe her daughter was still alive. Maybe the mother was sad because she thought she should've done better.

"I think you're doing a great job," Rick commented. He longed to reach out to her.

She snorted. "Yeah, mooching off a rich bastard living the good life while some people are out there barely surviving in prisons," she looked back up at him and narrowed her eyes. "I've been lucky."

"Maybe so, but-"

"Don't." Her voice got serious so quickly Rick was taken aback by her sudden mood swing

"Don't?"

"Don't tell me I'm better than I actually am."

"I'm not. I'm telling you that you're better than how you think you are." He matched her stern face. "You let us in, remember? Now, I like Jan, and I trust her now, but I'm not so sure she would've brought us to Michael's if it hadn't been for you."

Though Mia still felt guilty, she knew the man was right. She was born with a sensitive side, her mother had always told her that. "I guess I just have a soft spot for cowboys and priests and guys with mullets."

Rick smiled down at her. Her hair was wavy, and her tanned skin glowed effortlessly in the small room. He could see golden flecks shimmering in the green of her eyes. He was so close to her.

He should kiss her.

He wanted to kiss her.

And she looked into his eyes, not even daring to blink.

She wanted to kiss him.

The older man almost leaned in, but pulled away suddenly. He turned his head and looked back at the door. "We should probably head out. See if Daryl's back." He didn't look at her again before he headed out of the tack room.

Mia frowned and touched her lips softly, but headed out after him.

She dropped her things when she saw Rick standing in the middle of the hall in the barn. He was staring ahead at the barn doors. Mia was too.

Walkers. Tons of them. They were outside, limping around the truck. They hadn't noticed the two of them in the barn yet, but there was no possible way they could make it to the truck without attracting attention.

"Shit," Mia breathed. She walked up besides Rick. "What do we do?"

Rick's eyebrows were furrowed as he struggled to think of a plan. He wondered if Daryl was trapped, or if he was still out hunting. He grabbed his pistol out of his holster and told Mia to do the same.

"The gunshots will just attract more of them," Mia argued, but did as he said, anyway.

"Just precaution," he explained. He pulled out his knife as well. "Did you bring your crowbar?"

Mia cursed under her breath as she realized she had set the crowbar down in the trunk after they'd unloaded their first bags of feed. She felt humiliated, but if Rick was disappointed in her, he did not show it.

"I have an idea," he looked towards the back of the barn. The door was still broken where Jan had pressed all of her weight into the already rotting wood, but the other one was still in tact. "We can distract them, get 'em all in here and then get out the back doors. They'll follow us. We'll close those doors and then hurry up to the truck. We can lock the front doors and keep all the dead in the barn."

"Good idea," Mia said, though her heart was pounding. She'd never been surrounded by so many of them at the same time. She struggled to keep her head high, as if she'd dealt with this many times before.

Rick seemed to see right through her façade, however, and turned to face her. "It's gonna be alright, Mia. You can do this. I won't let them get you."

Mia almost melted at his words like a high school girl, and found herself blushing, despite the fear in her heart. She knew he meant it. He wouldn't let them hurt her. He would protect her. She suddenly felt safe. She nodded and attempted to smile in gratitude.

"Just tell me what I need to do."

"Stay close to me. Keep your gun ready. We'll try not to make much noise, but if it comes down to it, you'll need to shoot. Okay?"

"Okay." Her heart was beating so fast she thought she was having a heart attack.

"You can do this," he said again, his face close to hers.

"I know," she stuck her chin up. She wouldn't show weakness. She could do this. She looked down at the tack that she'd dropped when she'd seen the walkers. She knew it would be much too risky to attempt to hold onto the boots and the helmet when she needed to focus on staying alive. Feeling thwarted, she left the items behind when she followed Rick to the back doors of the barn.

He slid open the good door just a crack and peered outside. "There are a few out this door too. Not nearly as many," he reported. "If we run, we can make it past them without even attracting their attention."

Mia just nodded silently.

"Alright, Mia. I'm going to head up to the front doors. I'll get their attention and lead them inside the bar. I'll run back here and you and I will slip out these back doors and then head straight for the truck. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it."

Rick nodded. Mia didn't think Rick thought she really got it, and Mia didn't really think she got it either. Her mind was swimming with dread, and she already wasn't a fan of Rick leaving her to go and attract their attention. After one more long look, Rick started to turn, but Mia caught his arm.

"Be careful, okay?"

"Always am," he offered a small smile and made his way to where the hoard of walkers was limping around.

Rick whistled and shouted slightly. All at once, the walkers turned their disgusting faces to the sounds of Rick's voice. They stopped in their tracks and immediately switched their direction to where their fresh meal was. As soon as the first one stepped in, Rick started to jog his way back to where Mia stood, her heart racing.

"Alright, as soon as they get halfway, we're heading out." He watched them with unblinking eyes.

As soon as a female walker with only one arm and half a torso limped over the halfway mark, Rick put his hand on Mia's lower back and urged her out the back door. The walkers that were limping around the back, looked up at their presence, but Mia focused her attention on closing the working door, and then following Rick around the barn and up to where the truck was.

When they got around to the front, Mia's heart dropped to see that there were more than they had originally anticipated. Most were in the barn, but a lot were still hanging out by the truck as well. Not the mention, the walkers from the back were now following Mia and Rick's scent. They were cornered.

"Still got your gun?" Rick asked.

"Y-Yes," Mia stammered. She hated herself for being so nervous.

"We're gonna have to shoot our way through this. No other way," his eyes scanned the area. She knew he was looking for Daryl, but the hunter was nowhere to be found.

"Okay."

"When I say 'go', we're gonna make a run for the truck. Shoot at anything that gets too close," he stared intensely into her eyes. "If we can get into the car, we'll be safe."

"I don't know if I can-" Mia started. She could hear groaning getting louder from behind.

"You can do this, Mia." He stared intently at her with nothing but confidence showing in his face. He was being sincere. Mia took a deep breath and nodded.

"Alright. Ready… Go," he said, before taking off towards the truck, his gun in hand.

He was already shooting at some of the walkers. He put down about three of them, each one falling with one bullet to the head. Mia copied his actions. She put down two of them. She felt oddly pleased with herself.

She felt pressure on her arm and turned in shock when she realized one of the walkers had reached through a window in a stall and latched itself onto her. She started to pull away, glancing to where Rick was about to be surrounded by a few walkers himself. She felt panic rise in her chest. _This is it_, her brain mused. _This is where we die_.

She aimed her gun at the walker in the stall and shot him in the head. Two walkers were making their way to her from the backside of the barn, and she used three shots to put them down. She turned back to Rick. He was surrounded.

Pushing herself through the panic, Mia ran towards him, her pistol poised and ready. Aiming for the one nearest to the man, she shot him straight through.

"I don't have any more bullets," he shouted over the walkers' groans.

Mia nodded, and felt herself go dizzy with panic. Her chest was heaving. She shot two more heading towards she and Rick. Then, she pulled her trigger again, and it clicked. No bullet came out.

Mia pulled the trigger again. And again. No more bullets. Rick was out of ammo and now she was too. He was using his knife on the walkers now, but without her gun, Mia had nothing. "Rick, I'm out too," she said weakly. She wasn't sure if Rick could understand her with her voice shaking so much.

_This is it._

_She was about to die._

_She did the best she could._

_Didn't she?_

She saw the walker coming. It was slow, but sure in its efforts. Mia didn't bother sparing one last glance at Rick. She didn't want him being cornered to be her last sight. She closed her eyes instead. She chose to remember him the darkness of the tack room. The way he looked at her with those blue eyes… no judgment, only sincerity…

"Mia!" she heard Rick's voice.

She tried to open her eyes but they weren't cooperating. Her heart was loosing its fast pace. Was she dying? Had she already been bitten? She heard Rick's call again, and another voice too. Daryl? She struggled to open her eyes. Her surroundings were dark. Her heartbeat barely thudded.

And then her mind stopped.


	6. Chapter Five

A/N: Please everyone review! I _SO_ appreciate the follows and favorites, but I could really use a review to tell me you're still interested and want me to continue updating this fic. I have a lot of plans for it, so I'd love to keep writing, but I need the encouragement.

PS. Mia's celebrity doppelganger to me is Rachael Taylor… Here is a pic of her that I picture Mia as.

. /-JahmtNQK0M8/VK21kx1WC2I/AAAAAAACa7M/beITzj84VL0/s1600/the%2Bloft%

If you've pictured her as someone different, let me know!

Chapter Five

_There were lights. Lots of lights. Flashing lights. Emergency lights? The fire alarm was blaring. People were screaming. Why were they screaming? The phones weren't working. The TVs weren't working. People screaming. Lights flashing. Someone was bit. Hearts beating. Hearts torn apart. Blood poured from wounds. Begging for help. People crying. People screaming. Lights flashing… Stop._

Mia woke up slowly. Her head was pounding. Her sheets were soaked with sweat. She felt insanely hot.

Pulling off her covers, she slowly pushed her legs over the edge of the bed. Every part of her body hurt. She couldn't remember what had happened to her. The last thing she remembered was going to the barn with Rick and Daryl. Being alone with Rick in the tack room. Her heart rate shot up.

_The walkers_.

In a panic, Mia threw herself from the bed and over to the long mirror hanging on the door. She ran her fingers down every inch of her body. No bites. She checked her face. Despite the purple bags under her eyes, she looked okay. She was not dead. She was not a rotting corpse.

She made her way slowly back to her bed. Her head was still pounding. She could feel her heartbeat in her temples. She longed to lie back down. She was in an oversized nightshirt. Probably one of Michael's. She looked out the window. It was dark out.

Her throat and lips felt dry. She needed water. Using the wall to support her weight, she made her way slowly down the stairs. She could hear people talking. Lots of them.

Suddenly aware that her legs were completely bare, she wondered if she should go back upstairs and change. Feeling the dryness in her throat, however, she struggled down the last few steps and entered the kitchen.

The voices were coming from the living room. She grabbed a bottle of water from the cupboard and sipped a few times before chugging the entire thing down. She hoped the water would help alleviate her aching head. She could hear the voices, but their words made no sense. She heard laughter. She slowly walked into the room, which was lit by a few candles.

She was aware of all faces turning on her. The light from the candles hurt her eyes, and her legs felt weak.

"Mia," she heard someone say, before standing up to help her sit down. They led her to the couch. The cool leather felt nice against her burning skin.

"What happened?" she slurred.

She felt someone press a cup to her lips. "Drink this." She obeyed silently. Her eyes closed. Her skin stopped burning. Her head stopped aching.

All went black.

When Mia awoke the next time, she was still lying on the couch. It was evening; she could see the sun settling down outside the rooms' oversized window. She sat up and pulled the blanket someone had thrown over her off. It was hot. She felt the sweat on the back of her neck and wished she had a ponytail to tie up her hair. Instead, she rubbed the back of her head tentatively. She felt a rather large bump formed beneath her blonde hair.

"How'd you sleep?" The voice made her jump slightly. It was Maggie.

"Good, I think," Mia replied after her heartbeat had slowed from the scare. "I don't even remember how I got here."

Maggie smiled. "You came down in the middle of the night lookin' like a walker. You hit your head pretty hard," she handed the woman a glass of water.

"Thanks," Mia took a sip, and then gulped it down after realizing how dry her throat was. "Where is everyone?"

"Do you remember what happened?"

Mia struggled to collect her thoughts. The last thing she remembered was being in the tack room with Rick. She remember how close he was, his brilliant blue eyes... An alarm suddenly went off. "The walkers, they surrounded us."

She stood up too fast and Maggie had to reach forward to help her sit back down.

"Steady," Maggie whispered. "You're going to have to be careful."

"Where's Rick? Daryl? Are they okay?" Mia ignored Maggie's request to be calm.

"It's okay Mia, they're fine," she soothed. "You're the only one who got hurt."

Mia let herself relax and brought a hand up to her throbbing head. "I hit my head?"

"A walker tripped into you and you fell backwards into the barn," a new voice emerged and Mia looked up to see Rick walking into the room. He was in a navy blue shirt this time, accompanied by dark blue jeans. Mia had to admit that Michael's wardrobe looked good on the man. His eyebrows were furrowed in concern. "How's your head?" He leaned down in front of her and pressed the back of his hand against her head. Mia noticed Maggie shift in her seat slightly.

"I'm okay," Mia said, though his hand felt cold on her forehead.

"You've been running a fever since last night." He commented, slowly taking his hand away.

Mia felt her chest tighten. "I wasn't..." She couldn't finish the question.

"Nah, you weren't bitten," he said surely.

"You woulda turned by now. We think your body just went into shock and your immune system shut down with it. Possibly just caught a bug."

Mia nodded. She remembered the sweat dripping down her neck. "When I was there," she whispered.

"I thought for sure I was as good as dead." She looked into his electric eyes.

"You almost were," he said very seriously. "Me too, actually. I just didn't account for so many of 'em." He paused for a second and shook his head. "You saved my life."

Mia returned his gaze with as much intensity as he was portraying. She heard a throat clear and Mia looked away for a second to see that Maggie was still in the room, awkwardly smiling and rubbing the back of her neck. "I guess I'll give you guys some privacy."

Mia, embarrassed, attempted to stand up. Rick steadied her but Mia pulled away. "I should probably go lie down in my room," she stated.

Maggie nodded. "Good idea. Come on, I'll help you up," Maggie replaced Rick on Mia's side and wrapped her arm around the concussed woman. Mia avoided Rick's gaze and appreciated Maggie letting her use her as a crutch.

Maggie led Mia up the staircase and slowly let her down onto the bed. "I know he can be a bit overwhelmin'," she joked standing above Mia as she lifted her pillows to lean against on the bed.

"Who Rick? Overwhelming? Never..." Mia said sarcastically back.

"Well you two are good together," she said, softer this time. "You've both got that leadership quality."

"We're not together," Mia corrected but Maggie just smiled.

"You know what I mean." And with that, she turned towards the door. "Holler if you need anything."

Mia sighed and lay back into the fluffy pillows. She closed her eyes and focused on the pounding inside her head. It was a steady beat. Her body was still burning hot. She let her mind slip into her thoughts. Thoughts of happy endings. The military storming through. They'd take care of all the monsters. Her parents would be with them. She smiled and felt herself slip into the unconsciousness of sleep.

When she awoke again, she felt better. Her body temperature seemed to have returned to normal. There was no drum pounding against her skull. When she reached towards the back of her head, she felt the lump had even become smaller. She stretched and sat up, and screamed.

Michael was standing at the end of her bed. She immediately made sure the shirt was covering herself and she shook her head. "How long have you been in here?" She demanded.

"You don't need to try too hard to cover yourself, dear. I've seen it all before," he winked and sat down at the end of her bed. There was a glass of whiskey in his hand.

Mia pushed herself under the covers and glared. "You could have knocked."

"Ah, yes, I could have. But seeing as this is my house, I opted not to." He lowered his eyes to her waist. "And besides, it's not as if you've had a problem with this before." He stared at her hungrily.

"Well now I do," she growled. "Please leave, I have to get dressed."

It's Rick isn't it." His voice was cool. Too cool. He averted his gaze and stared instead at the door. His fingers tightened around his glass.

Mia gritted her teeth. She felt anger boiling inside her chest. "It isn't Rick, Michael. It's just me." She threw the covers off of herself and walked to her dresser, aware of the man's footsteps behind her.

"Ever since that white trash came along-"

"_He_ is not white trash," Mia interrupted, spinning around and facing him. She stared into his cold grey eyes, not daring to break eye contact. If it was a war he wanted, he would get it.

"So it _is_ him," Michael's upper lip twitched in amusement and he stared coolly down at her. He still held onto his glass of whiskey, and a piece of his usually slicked back hair fell down untidily on his forehead. "If I knew he would get between you and I-"

"You and I?" Mia shook her head and laughed sarcastically. "There is no you and I Michael. There never was. You're living in a fantasy."

Michael stepped closer to her. His face was merely inches from her own. She could smell the alcohol on his breath. He smelled like poison. "You love me, Mia."

"I don't," she held her head confidently, but her hands shook.

Before Mia could even think of what to do next, Michael leaned forward, crushing his lips against her own. He used his free hand to push the back of her head into him, and she struggled to pull away. His grip was firm and he grabbed a handful of her hair. Within seconds, after the shock had worn off, Mia pushed his chest and kneed him in his groin.

The glass dropped and shattered onto the floor. Michael bent forward and groined in pain.

Mia's whole body was shaking now, her eyes glancing towards the door. She needed to get out of here. She needed to run. Her legs wouldn't move. Her knees were weak and her head was starting to pound again. She stared at the man before her, his body was shaking too, only his was from anger.

He slowly regained his composure and stood straight. His eyes were so narrowed that they just appeared to be slits. He glanced down at his drink for a split second before turning his attention back to the girl in front of him.

Mia could not even comprehend what was happening until Michael's hand made contact with her face. The slap was so hard and Mia's knees were so weak that she fell immediately to the floor, her cheek burning where his hand had made contact. Michael did not say another word, he turned and he left Mia's room, leaving her lying on the ground.

Mia did not move for almost an hour. She sat on the floor, her hand pressed against her cheek. She did not cry. She did not feel anger. She felt nothing. She periodically glanced at the door, wondering when Michael would storm back in, maybe this time with a gun. She did not feel afraid. She just focused on the pain on her skin. It was still aching by the time Jan showed up to check on her.

"Mia, are you okay?" she ran towards her friend, placing her two hands on either sides of her face. She checked her over, and then stared at Mia's hand that still covered her cheek.

"What happened? Is it your head?" she attempted to move the woman's hand, but Mia held it firm. "Please," Jan pleaded, and Mia let her friend pry her hand from her face.

Jan's face contorted in horror. "W-Who did this to you?"

Mia shook her head and finally looked at her friend in the eye. "Nobody. I ran into the dresser door."

"Cut the shit, Mia," Jan narrowed her eyes in frustration. "I-It wasn't…" she trailed off as if she didn't want to say the name. "It wasn't Rick was it?"

Mia snapped her head up. "No! It wasn't Rick."

Jan nodded and sighed. "Okay."

"It was Michael."

Jan did not seem surprised by this answer. She just shook her head and began to pull Mia to her feet. "Come on. We need to figure out what to do about this."

Mia pulled away from Jan and stood up on her own. "We're not doing anything about this, do you hear me?" Her hands started to shake again. "Nobody can find out. This is between you and me. It was an accident, okay?"

"Mia, that's a bruise. Your lip is busted on the side. That's not an accident!"

"You weren't here, Jan. I don't want to cause problems, okay? I'm fine!" she strode over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of cut off jeans and slipped into them. Pulling off Michael's t-shirt in disgust, she threw on a tank top and a zip up sweatshirt over top.

"Mia… They'll notice."

"No they won't. I know I have some foundation in here somewhere," she began to search around the room, throwing up her blankets and searching in her drawers… It wasn't until Jan placed a soft hand on her shoulder that Mia realized she was crying.

"It's okay, Hun. If it means that much to you, I have some old make up in my room. Just, don't panic, okay?"

Mia nodded and wiped under her eyes with her arm. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

"Don't be sorry, Mia." Jan pulled her friend into a hug and let her cry into her shoulder. Jan wasn't sure she had ever seen Mia this unhinged since the outbreak began. And it was in that moment, while she held her best friend as she cried, that she promised.

It would be Michael who would be sorry.

A/N: Okay, sorry it took so long for me to post this chapter, I've been crazy busy with midterms. I just wanted to give some insight into Michael's character and have a little friendship bonding between Jan and Mia. I _promise_ there will be much more Rick and Mia action in the next chapter, so hold tight! And thanks again for all the follows! If you're truly enjoying my story, _please, please, please _leave a review and maybe I'll work harder to post the chapters more often ;D Thanks again, and I hoped you enjoyed!

PS. Did everyone watch the last episode of Walking Dead this past Sunday?! Rick shaving his beard? *Oh my, insert heart eyes emoji here* hehehe.


	7. Chapter Six

A/N: Omg thank you so much for all the reviews! I can't even believe how much feedback I got on the last chapter. A special shout out to DreamsKillReality, cherryorpeach, Lili Tommo, my-forgotten-rose, and all the guests who also commented as well! That means so much to me, and I really hope we can keep the feedback going for this next chapter! Thank y'all so much! 3

I hope you enjoy this next chapter… ;D

Chapter Six

Mia applied gentle pressure onto the broken skin above her lip. It hurt to the touch. She let her finger linger there for a moment, letting in the pain. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Hair wet, cheek bruised, she knew she looked like a drug addict.

"Stop touching it, I'm starting to think you're a sadist," Jan walked up from behind and handed her a small tube. "There's some concealer in here. I couldn't find the foundation but I'll keep looking."

Mia took the tube and squeezed out some of the slightly tanned material. She tapped it gently onto her face and smoothed it to blend in with her skin. It did an okay job covering the bruise, but Mia added more to be sure.

"Here," Jan held out her hand to reveal a small bandage.

"A Band-Aid? I thought you were getting me foundation?"

"Yes, I am. But the cut on your lip needs to breathe and not be covered in heavy make up in order to heal. And you can just tell people it's a cold sore," she shrugged.

Mia tentatively took the bandage and placed it over the cut. She hoped it wouldn't bring attention to the bruise, but she figured her friend was right. She needed this to heal effectively; it would just stay longer and be harder to hide if it were to be infected.

"Alright, let me see," Jan positioned her friend in front of her and looked from different angles.

"How does it look? Will they notice?"

Jan bit her lip and nodded slightly, "perhaps… Maybe just don't let anyone stand within like… fifteen feet from you."

"Fifteen feet?" Mia whipped towards the mirror again.

"I'll add some more concealer," Jan hurriedly reached for the tube again.

…

It was evening by the time Mia and Jan headed downstairs. They could hear talking coming from the dining room, and figured the group had taken it upon themselves to start dinner without them. Silently annoyed that she and Jan would be making an entrance, Mia took a deep breath and followed Jan into the room.

"No, it's okay, don't wait for us or anything," Jan joked. Mia appreciated her attempt at taking the attention.

All eyes were on them now, and Mia felt her face burn in embarrassment. She knew she probably looked completely silly with a Band-Aid on her face, and then to have to explain that it was a cold sore? She tried to make brief eye contact with the group, hoping she would seem less suspicious. And then she saw the end of the table.

Michael sat in his usual spot. He was wearing a button-down shirt and a pair of slacks. His usually slicked back hair was disheveled, but he kept a smile on his face when he and Mia locked eyes. A glass of whiskey was placed within his hand.

"Mia! We were starting to get worried," he said, leaning forward. Mia's heart raced but her legs were frozen. "Please, come sit! Jim cooked us up a lovely stew, since you and Jan were too busy gossiping to do your duties," he laughed.

Mia tore her stare away from Michael to glance at Jim. He looked at her questioningly, but did not say a word. With a nudge of encouragement, Jan pushed into Mia before heading to her seat next to Jim. Finally gaining control of her legs again, Mia made her way to her seat next to Michael's.

"Are you feeling better?" Carol asked when Mia had sat down.

"Much," Mia said softly, staring down at the stew before her.

"What happened to your lip?" It was Beth.

"I have a bad cold sore," Mia lied quickly.

"I hate those," the girl replied, scrunching up her face.

"Must be pretty bad to have to cover it with a bandage."

The voice belonged to Rick this time. Mia continually stared down at her stew, not daring to look the man in the eye. Could he really tell? She picked up her spoon and stirred it around in the meal.

"Just didn't want to gross you guys out," she said, trying to add a hint of humor to her voice.

"How thoughtful!" Michael declared from next to her. She could feel his eyes burning into her. "I know I wouldn't want to see that," he laughed and looked for encouragement from the rest of the people at the table. They eyed each other warily.

"So, what were you guys talking about before Mia and I made our appearance?" Jan asked, before taking a bite of the stew.

"We were discussing the consequences of breaking the rules." Michael leaned back into his chair, a smirk planted on his face.

"We needed supplies," Carol said defiantly. "What else were we supposed to do?"

"Mia, Rick and Daryl were almost killed," Jim countered. Mia knew he had a soft spot for Michael's rules. He felt that they protected them.

"I wasun't almost killed," Daryl muttered from his seat. "I got back 'n time."

"Mia was knocked unconscious," Michael sat forward. Mia could feel his eyes tearing into her. "I don't know what I would do if she were killed," he reached forward and grasped her hand. She flinched and pulled away.

"Well I wasn't killed. I'm fine. So nobody needs to worry," she snapped.

"_I _worry. I worry that ever since this group arrived, they've been causing trouble."

A few members gasped. Glenn and Maggie exchanged glances. Jan narrowed her eyes and shook her head. Mia finally looked at Rick. He was staring at Michael with the same intensity that Michael was staring at Mia.

"What are you talking about?" Mia growled, turning her attention back to him. "_I _went on my own accord. _I_ am the one who lost my cool. _I'm_ the one who put Rick in danger!"

"Mia, there is no reason to make excuses for our new guests. They have not been here for more than a week and they are already putting my three friends into danger."

"They did nothing!" Mia stood up, her chair flying back behind her.

Jan began to stand up, but Michael put up his hand and told her sternly to sit back down. A silence drifted around the room. Mia's breathing was heavy. Her heart raced.

"I will not tolerate your tone, Mia."

"I will not tolerate you trying to dictate this group!"

"This is my home-"

"Then we'll leave!"

Michael slammed his fist down onto the table and the noise reverberated around the room. The rest of the room was completely silent. There were beads of sweat forming around Michael's hairline. He wiped his brow and then sat back in his chair.

Mia could feel her head begin to throb again, so without waiting to hear Michael's response, she turned and walked out of the room. Walking past the kitchen and out into the yard, she stormed past the pool and made her way to the barn.

She sat on the bench that looked over the field and watched the horses lazily graze in the dying sun. She thought about leaving, and the things she would pack when she did. She had most of her things from her apartment with Jan, plus she didn't think she could trust Michael to take care of the animals by himself… Would Jan and Jim even come with her? Jan would, definitely. But Jim? She felt her heart lurch. She couldn't imagine leaving without him, but she also knew that Jim knew what was safe. And to him, Michael's place was the safest place in the world. Mia was so distracted by her own thoughts that she didn't hear the footsteps coming up behind her.

Rick sat down on the bench next to her and leaned forward, resting his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry," Mia muttered, watching one of the mares trot around the field playfully.

"You don't gotta be sorry," he muttered into his hands. "You did nothin' wrong."

"He's acting like this because of me."

"He's actin' like this because he's used to getting everything his way," Rick corrected her, sitting up.

"What happened after I left?"

"Nothin' really. Michael left. He went into his office."

"I can't believe he wants you guys to leave."

"We ain't leavin'," his voice was rough and sure. Mia looked at him for a moment.

"But Michael said-"

"I know what Michael said. But this is the safest place my group has been. We need this."

Mia sighed. "I don't want to leave either."

"Then don't."

Mia looked back over at the man and he was already staring back at her. His blue eyes shone in the light from the setting sun. Mia could feel his eyes lingering on her bruised cheek and "cold sore". She turned away and covered it with her hand.

"What about Michael?" she asked. "When he has his mind set about something he usually sticks with it."

"I'll deal with Michael."

Mia laughed softly. "I don't think you're Michael's favorite person."

"He ain't mine either."

"I know," she nodded. "I don't blame you," she added softly.

He turned towards her suddenly and tried to make eye contact. "I just saw you earlier. You didn't have a cold sore."

"It showed up pretty quickly," she lied, shrugging.

"Mia, you saved my life."

Mia faintly remembered Rick saying that after she'd woken up from the farm incident. He never did tell her how. "I almost got us killed."

"When I ran outta bullets, you didn't even hesitate. You came over and shot the walkers who were comin' right towards me."

"You would've done the same for me."

"There were walkers headin' for you, but you still went for me."

Mia turned to look at him. His knee touched her very slightly. She could feel the electricity between the almost touch. "I don't know what you want me to say."

Rick paused for a moment and then raised his hand very slowly. Mia flinched but allowed him to press his thumb against the make-up covered bruise. Mia cringed slightly in pain when his finger made contact with the bruise, but she did not move away from him. He needed to know. She needed to let him know.

Stroking softly, he moved his thumb over and over against until the bruise was revealed. Mia forced herself to look away, part in shame, and part because she was worried what he would do. After most of the make-up was gone, he gently pulled off the bandage, which luckily was not too strongly attached because of the heat outside.

"Did he do this to you." His voice was even. Mia wasn't even sure it was a question.

"Yes." She knew there was no use in lying.

"Why." He dropped his thumb from his face and clenched his hands into fists.

Mia shook her head. She wasn't sure she was ready to tell him that. "I don't know."

Rick stood up suddenly. Mia finally looked at him. His nostrils flared and he stared out over the field, every muscle on his body tense with anger.

"Rick, it's okay."

"It's okay?" his voice finally elevated with his emotion. "He _hit_ you, Mia."

"It will heal."

Rick stared down at her, a mix of anger and shock spread across his features. "I will kill him," he snarled, before beginning to walk up to the house.

"No, Rick, wait," Mia stood up and followed him, grabbing onto his arm. "Please, we can figure this out."

"Figure what out?" He turned and faced her.

"It was my fault! And it's my problem! Not yours."

Rick narrowed his eyes. "It's my problem, Mia. It's my problem now."

Rick began to turn around again, and without thinking, Mia pulled his arm again so that he was facing her. Before he could speak, and before Mia could rethink her actions, Mia leaned forward and crushed her lips into his.

Rick initially leaned back in surprise, his whole body still tense from anger. Mia almost started regretting her actions until Rick finally began to respond, wrapping one arm around her waist and using the other pulled her face closer to his. The kiss grew deeper and deeper, his lips perfectly meshing into her's. Mia's heart was racing, but this time because of passion, and when she finally pulled away from him, she leaned her forehead against his and felt the butterflies soaring in her stomach like she was in middle school again.

Rick looked into her eyes, his own full of concern and fervor of his own. He moved his hand from the back of her head and used it to stroke her face. He didn't speak, and neither did she. But they both knew there didn't need to be words. They'd both wanted that moment for a long time.

From the window of his office, Michael stared down into the field, a glass of whiskey in his hand. He finished the drink in one large gulp and tightened his grip on the glass until it shattered between his fingers. He ignored the blood running down and dripping onto his floor and narrowed his eyes, staring dangerously close at the two figures embracing in the field.

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

"You must have super-power lips," Jan commented after Mia told her how she convinced Rick not to kill Michael just yet.

"It wasn't just the kiss," Mia groaned. Jan seemed to think that was the only part of the story.

"Man, I can't believe it's the end of the world and you're falling in love and all I have are some blurred out memories from college."

"This isn't good, Jan!" Mia paced around her room, running a hand through her hair.

"Why not? Rick's hot... For an older man of course. And you have a thing for older men. I prefer my men to be-"

"Can you focus please?" Mia stopped pacing and stared out her window. Rick, Carl, Maggie, Glenn, Beth, Abraham, and Noah were making use of the pool. Mia couldn't help but focus in on Rick as he tossed an old beach ball to Carl, who hit it back volleyball style.

"I think you're the one who needs to focus." Jan came up behind her and positioned her chin on her friend's shoulder. "The dead are walking around. There's worse things than falling in love right now."

"I'm not falling in love," Mia muttered, prying her eyes away from Rick's shirtless frame.

"Yes you are. You can't even take your eyes off him."

Mia intentionally and purposefully stared straight at Jan and smiled. "Now I'm staring at you. Does this mean I'm in love with you?"

Jan laughed. "You've always been in love with me, Mia."

Mia scoffed and turned back towards the window. "It would never work out."

"Why not?" Jan followed Mia's gaze and looked out at the seemingly care-less people down at the pool.

"Because. He has two kids, Jan... I practically just got out of college. I've never even had a relationship that lasted longer than six months. I'm no good for him"

"So? You and I used to babysit our freshmen year, remember? You were good with the little fuckers. It's me that has no chemistry with kids."

"That's not the point. I'm almost half his age!"

"Yeah? It's not like we have many choices to choose from nowadays."

Mia shut her eyes and then abruptly turned and headed downstairs. Jan followed close behind.

"Why do you have to be so cynical?" Jan said shortly.

"Why do you have to encourage me to do something that's just going to hurt me in the end?" Mia snapped. "This isn't a fairy tale, Jan. This is a nightmare. We've been living this horrible lie since this thing started. Everyone is going to die."

Jan furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head. "Who the hell are you? Because you're certainly not Mia. Not Mia, who when I couldn't reach my family, told me not to give up. To keep going. Who convinced an insane billionaire to take us in and keep us safe? Who risks her life going on runs for things that are convenient but aren't necessary. You spend more time more time making sure those animals are healthy then making sure that *youre* healthy. And suddenly you kiss a man and you've lost all hope?"

Mia sighed, feeling tears form in her eyes, but not letting them fall. "It's not that, Jan. Don't you get it? Michael is going to kick us out."

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do."

"Rick said were not leaving without a fight. And if it's us against him, I think we've got quite the chance."

Mia nodded, biting her lip.

"Oh hey, Mia. I was looking for you."

Mia and Jan looked to see Glenn, soaking wet and smiling, standing just outside the door. His expression changed slightly when he saw the two girl's expressions, however and he started to back up. "I can talk to Jim, I didn't mean to interrupt," he started

"No Glenn, it's fine. What's up?" Jan placed a fake smile across her face and folded her arms across her chest.

"We forgot towels..." He glanced back towards the pool.

"Right. I'll go get them," Mia turned before Jan could insist that she get them instead. She walked to the storage closet and pulled out a stack of about six beach towels. Heading back towards the kitchen, she saw that Jan had walked down to the pool with Glenn. Everyone was there. Sitting around the pool, smiling and laughing.

Mia walked down the deck stairs and out to the pool. She got a few hollers of welcome. Noah, Carl, Rick, and Abraham were playing an intense game of volleyball in the water. Rick turned at her arrival but Mia avoided his eyes.

"Here," Mia set the towels on the on a table but tossed two to Glenn and Maggie who were sitting out on two lounge chairs next to Rosita who, Mia couldn't help but notice looked very nice in the bikini she was wearing. Jim walked up to Mia and slapped her on the shoulder in greeting.

"Hey Mia!" Carl was holding the ball in the pool and looking up at her. "Why don't you come swim?" He held the ball up as if he were going to throw it to her.

Mia laughed and shook her head. "No thanks."

Jan snorted "pussy" from where she stood besides Maggie and Glenn, who laughed like children.

"Yeah Mia," she heard Rick say from Carl's side. "The waters great."

Mia smiled at him but did not respond. Jan shook her head at her from across the desk but didn't say anything.

"Mia..." Jim was looking at the water with his eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"I think you might want to check the water," he was staring at something. Mia moved closer and squinted, trying to see what he was looking at.

"What are you talking about? What's in the water?"

Jim hesitated for a moment before letting his face break into the biggest smile she had ever seen. "You," he said casually before abruptly pushing his hands on her upper back.

Mia didn't have a single second to think before her body met the surface of the water. It was cold at first entry, and she almost swallowed a large amount of the liquid. She kicked up to the surface, coughing and spitting water out. Everyone was laughing.

"Jim!" Mia yelled.

Jan was beside herself with laughter. She was bent over, her hands bracing herself on her knees and was laughing so hard, no noise was coming out.

Mia heard Carl laughing loudly behind her in the pool and so she turned, smiling and yelled "what are you laughing at?" Before splashing him with water. Carl ducked under the surface and Mia looked around desperately for where he'd gone.

Before Jan had even remotely called down from her hysterics, Jim shared a look with Glenn who was still sitting beside Jan. The Asian man stood up hesitantly. "I wouldn't laugh too hard if I were you," he said, making Jan shut up immediately as Jim and Glenn both rounded on her and pushed her to the pools edge. Jan held her hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay. Take it easy kids, I'm wearing Armani," she motioned to her grey suit.

Jim and Glenn both rolled their eyes simultaneously before pushing the tops of the girl's shoulder until she, too, broke the waters surface. Now it was Mia's turn to laugh.

"You assholes!" Jan shouted, splashing water up at them.

Mia kept laughing and swam to the pools edge. Luckily she was on the shallower end so she didn't have to trend water. She felt a body move up next to her and wasn't surprised to see Rick leaning up against the edge too.

"Carl told me not to tell you but he's going to get you back for splashing him," he said, turning around to face the pool.

"I guess we know who's side you're on if he told you not to tell me," Mia kept her tone light, though being around him made her heart feel heavy.

"I just like to have an equal fight," he laughed shrugging slightly.

"Well, thanks for the heads up."

She was acutely aware of how close he was to her. And the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt but just one of Michael's old black bathing suits wasn't helping her feelings one bit. She glanced down at his fit and toned body and immediately regretted it, forcing herself to look instead at Noah and Carl playing ball all by themselves.

"I didn't see you this morning," he commented. He was watching their game as well.

"Yeah, I slept in. And Jan was talking to me for a while."

"Your cheek looks better," he glanced down at where Michael had slapped her and she instinctively covered the spot with her hand.

"It's healing."

Rick nodded. Mia looked at him out of the corner of her eye. His wet hair was slicked back and his stubble was becoming more prominent as if he hadn't shaved in a few days. And his toned arms were tanned and contrasted perfectly against the color of his swim trunks. Mia couldn't help but want to press herself against him and run her hands through his wet, slightly curled hair. She took a deep breath and struggled to push the thoughts from her mind.

"Are we gonna talk about it?" he asked, his eyes continually watching his son and Noah splashing around.

"Talk about what?" Mia asked innocently, though she knew exactly what he wanted to talk about.

"That kiss," he smirked and gazed around, as if they were talking about top-secret confidential information.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, smiling, despite herself. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Well, I thought it was nice." Mia felt her heart stop in her chest. "Even though you only did it to distract me from killing Michael."

"I'm just glad it worked."

He chuckled. "For now. I'm not making any promises."

"Then maybe," she paused and turned towards him slightly, her wet hair clinging gently around her face. "I'll just have to keep distracting you."

Rick turned towards her, his face somewhat surprised. Even she felt her heart lurch at her sudden courage to say something so flirtatious. So promising. Without waiting for a response, Mia dunked her head under the water and swam close to Carl, where she emerged from the water and splashed him while he was in the middle of hitting the ball back to Noah. Mustering a shout, Carl laughed and attempted to splash Mia back.

"Dad!" Carl yelled as Mia repeated slammed the water towards him.

Suddenly, Mia felt to strong hands grasp her arms and steady them so that she could no longer splash the boy. Mia turned slightly to see Rick, holding her back and nodding encouragingly at Carl. Carl took this opportunity and continually splattered the water towards Mia, who squeezed her eyes shut and had trouble breathing from her laughter.

…

Mia ran her fingers through her freshly washed hair and smiled in content. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, blocking the bruise from her sight and instead focusing on the grin that refused to leave her face. She had spent the rest of the afternoon outside with the group, and they ate and laughed and shared stories, and she felt as if the world were normal again and the dead weren't walking and they were old friends catching up at a high school reunion.

Since they had spent most of the afternoon hanging out and eating snacks by the pool, they decided to skip dinner. Jim had informed Michael, who merely nodded and closed himself in his room without a word to anyone. Mia couldn't help but feel relaxed that she did not have to face him tonight.

Throwing on a tank top and a pair of boxers, Mia headed downstairs and found herself heading towards the liquor cabinet. She had made a promise to herself when the outbreak first occurred that she would never drink alcohol unless she was happy. She would never drink to relieve pain. Alcohol didn't relieve pain, it just made it worse.

Tonight, Mia was happy. So she grabbed a bottle of whiskey out of the cabinet and poured a small amount into a glass. Tossing her head back, she swallowed the drink in a gulp, and scrunched her face up trying to ignore the strong taste. Accepting the familiar warm, burning feeling as the booze ran down her throat, she smiled and leaned against the counter, thinking about how wonderful the day was, and how she hoped everyday coming forward would be the same.

Mia almost didn't notice when Rick walked into the room.

"I thought I heard you come down here."

"What, are you stalking me now?" she narrowed her eyes at him playfully and poured herself another glass. "Want one?"

Rick nodded and pulled down a glass from the cabinet. Mia filled it about halfway and handed it back to him. He took a small sip and leaned against the counter. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a grey shirt. Mia noticed how his shirt rippled against the shape of his body. She swallowed her drink.

"Wanna see something cool?" Mia turned and climbed onto the counter, reaching up for the tallest cabinet and pulling out a stash of Oreos and chocolate chip cookies. Grabbing a handful of them, she sat down on the surface, her legs dangling, and tossed a bag to Rick, who was now leaning against the island across from her.

"Where did you get these?" he eyed the bags of cookies as if they were gold.

"When we went on our first run, me and Jan found a few storage boxes full of 'em. We used to have some graham crackers and Nutter Butters, but we finished those… Now we keep these in secrecy so we space out eating them," she chuckled slightly at the ridiculousness of it all. "I meant to bring some to the kids tonight, but I forgot. I'll give them some tomorrow."

Rick smiled. "Carl's gonna lose his mind," he chuckled softly.

"Go ahead," she nodded to him, as if giving permission to open. "Today was a good day, I think we deserve some treats."

She opened her bag of chocolate chip cookies and shoved one into her mouth. She audibly moaned at the taste. Canned fruits were good, but nothing could beat the taste of chocolate. She watched as Rick finally ripped open the bag, his movements slow as if he were savoring each moment. Mia attempted to hold back her laughter.

"What?" he looked up and eyed her curiously as she covered her mouth.

"You act like you've never eaten a cookie before."

"It's been a long time," he said, smiling and chewing. "I feel like a kid again."

Mia laughed and held out her glass. Rick poured more for her as well as himself. Mia took a sip and laughed more. "Wanna hear something ridiculous?"

Rick nodded before pressing his glass to his lips.

"When I was little, me and my cousin used to sneak downstairs and steal cookies out of a jar in the kitchen and one time my mom found out and she replaced the cookies with dog biscuits."

Rick burst into laughter, spitting out some of his drink. Mia laughed along with him, throwing her head back but trying to be quiet as well. "Shh," she lifted a finger to her lips. "Everyone is sleeping."

"This is a big house," Rick replied, wiping his face with a napkin. He tossed another cookie into his mouth.

Mia began to pour herself another drink when she realized how light-headed she was beginning to feel. She hopped off the counter and walked ungracefully over to the back window, where she stared out into the darkness, admiring the full moon reflecting vividly against the pool's surface.

She was exceptionally aware of Rick making his way up behind her. He stopped just behind her so that they were almost touching. She could feel his breath against her skin. She felt the tingly feeling of closeness soar through her body. Every part of her wanted to turn around and touch him. The alcohol she'd been drinking before was almost enough to make her do it.

"It's beautiful out tonight," he said softly. His voice was lower, gruffer, and made Mia want him even more.

She turned and faced him.

"You know what we should do," she smiled naughtily up at him, stepping a fraction closer to him so that their faces was just a space apart.

Rick's eyes widened in a little bit of surprise, but only for a second and then he matched her playful gaze. "What?"

"We should…" she moved even closer to him, placing an arm on his shoulder and pressing her hand against the back of his head. She pressed her face into his neck. She could feel his breath hitch as she twirled her finger around a strand of his hair. And then she smiled and pulled back briefly. "Go swimming."

"Swimming?" Rick couldn't hide his confusion, but Mia did not give him time to consider this and she pulled him out of the back door. She paused for a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the light and then pulled Rick down the rest of the steps until they reached the bottom.

Mia felt like she was in college again. The buzz she had reminded her of old times with Jan, when they'd stay out really late, get drunk, skinny dip, go to clubs and then get home and devour all the food in their apartment. She walked to the edge of the pool which was illuminated just enough by the moon to see around.

"Are you gonna swim like that?" Mia turned her attention back to Rick, who was watching her watch the pool.

Before waiting for a reply, in a moment of pure confidence she attributed to the alcohol, she stripped off her shirt revealing only an old bra and then dove into the pool. The water was cold, and she instantly felt an adrenaline rush throughout her entire body. She swam up to the top and broke the surface.

"C-come on i-in, t-the w-water's g-great-t-t," she said, dramatically chattering her teeth and rubbing her arms.

Rick shook his head and gulped down the rest of his drink. Sparing one last glance at the house and making sure there were no lit candles in view, he took off his shirt and lingered on the edge with his jeans on, debating whether he was going to jump in with them on.

"Are you really gonna swim with your jeans on?" she challenged, before dunking under again and swimming to the opposite end of the pool. When she surfaced, she could see Rick in the shallow end, his jeans crumbled up on the side.

She swam backwards towards him, enjoying the soothing feeling of the water lapping around her head. She hadn't swum like this in a very long time, so open and free. She stopped when she reached Rick, who was leaning against the side, his arms crossed across his chest.

"It's freezin'," he commented.

"That's because you're standing still," she countered, swim in a small circle in front of him. "The body needs to keep moving in order to stay warm."

"You're an expert, huh?" he smirked and then knelt deeper into the water.

"On all things pool related," she winked and then floated onto her back, starring up at the stars.

Everything was quiet for a moment. Rick continually knelt a few feet away from her, his eyes fixed on nothing but the girl in front of him. She, however, did not stop starring at the stars. When the water was not covering her ears, she swore she could hear the groaning of a few walkers in the distance. She ignored them.

"I don't want to leave this place," she whispered.

Rick moved closer to her. "We ain't gonna."

Mia sighed. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because we don't back down."

He watched her float effortlessly in the darkness. He could barely make out her features, but he could tell she was upset. Her hovering figure reminded him of his dream of her in the bathtub. He remembered her body morph into Lori. He shook his head. That was not real. This was. Mia was right there in front of him.

"You're right about Michael," she said again, her voice soft. Mia's head was spinning.

"What do you mean?"

"He thinks he owns me."

"Does he?"

"Yeah. I guess he does."

She stood up and faced him. He couldn't tell if there were tears running down her face, or droplets of water. All he knew was how incredibly beautiful she looked with her hair slicked back and her skin shinning in the light of the moon. If he didn't feel the cold so much, he could've sworn he was dreaming again.

"He used to come into my room every night and fuck me."

Rick winced at her words, surprised that she had just admitted this so eagerly to him. He felt his chest tighten in anger… and maybe even jealousy. He turned away from her.

"Did you want him to," his tone was rough.

"I'm not sure."

"Do you love him?"

"No."

Rick walked to the edge of the pool and leaned his hands into his head. He didn't think that he drank that much, but now his temples were pounding and he felt extremely woozy. He felt Mia swim up next to him. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Rick clenched his fists and then without warning, turned and faced the girl, gripping her chin and pulling her mouth to his. He pressed her into the side of the pool, his lips moving fiercely against hers, his body pushed eagerly against her small frame. He moved one hand down to her waist and moved his fingers along the trim of her boxers. He felt her hips move forward in reaction, and he smiled into her, breaking the kiss only so that he could attend to her neck, dotting kissing along her soft, wet, skin.

She moaned slightly and even pushed herself further into him. Rick moved his hands down to her thighs and lifted them until she was straddling his waist in the water. He moved back to her lips, and this time Mia willingly opening her mouth and slid her tongue into his, increasing the pleasure for the both of them.

It was the most passionate kiss Mia had ever known. Rick almost massaged her thighs as he held them up, and Mia wished he would just take off her bottoms and get it over with. Their mouths moved at a rapid pace, as if there was only a limited amount of time for them to share this moment. Mia found that she liked the scruff of Rick's stubble when he would move down to pay special attention to her neck. She cupped his chin with her hand and raised his face so that he was staring into her eyes.

She leaned her forehead against his while they caught their breath, and Mia couldn't help but smile at the situation. She realized she'd been waiting for this moment for a long time. The water moved viciously around them now, and Mia was burning hot, even though the water was ice cold. She stared into Rick's blue eyes and hoped he could see the passion burning inside of her own.

She was about to press her lips back against his when she heard the clearing of a throat.

Immediately pulling back, Rick turned and Mia turned at the same time to see a tall figure standing at the edge of the pool, Rick's jeans in one hand, a small hand gun in the other.

"Well, well, well," Michael said, his voice dripping with poison. "What do we have here?"

A/N: Okay, I added more fluff to this chapter between Rick and Mia, so I hope you like it! Please review and let me know what you think! Any feedback is helpful! And thanks again to all the WONDERFUL people who have been consistently reviewing on my story and for the new followers and "favoriters"! Special thanks to: Lili Tommo, my-forgotten-rose, and DreamsKillReality and the Guest who reviewed on the last chapter! I appreciate it so much, you guys are the best!

PS. I hope you guys like Jan… She's one of my favorite characters that I've ever created. This is how I picture her and I got inspired for her character from the show Stalker (which is an AMAZING show if you haven't seen it.)

. ?w=580


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Rick stared up at the dark figure above him, a cool rage burning in his chest. In one spiny hand, Michael was holding a golden pistol, in the other, Rick's jeans. The man's finger tapped against the trigger every few seconds. Rick's head still swayed slightly, but he immediately felt himself sobering up at the sight of the danger.

"Have you come to join us?" Mia teased before erupting into fits of giggles. She leaned towards Rick and had to grasp onto his arm to stay upright. Rick noticed Michael's face darken at the touch. Rick shushed her quietly, helping her stand and knowing that she did not comprehend just how severe this situation was.

"No, my sweet girl," he said, his voice smooth as velvet. "As a matter of fact, I have come to put an end to this nonsense, one and for all." He was smiling. Rick hated him.

"You have no right-" Rick started.

Michael let out a booming laugh, drowning out the rest of Rick's sentence. "You're not wearing pants with a girl who is half your age and _I_ have no right?" he tilted his head back again. Mia giggled uncertainly from next to him, but she kept her hand firmly wrapped around Rick's arm.

"How would Carl feel if he saw his father acting this way?" Michael's face suddenly turned serious. As if he truly cared.

"It's not like that—" Rick began again.

"Oh, right, yes." Michael began to pace back and forward now. Rick watched him with unblinking eyes. "Maybe I shall just tell him that you were under the influence. The alcohol was too much. You didn't _mean_ to kiss Mia," he stopped and turned to the blonde woman.

Shaking his head and squatted down before her. "Poor, poor, Mia. Not even in the world's end can you find a decent man to love you. He doesn't care about you," he closed his eyes and sighed.

"You're wrong," Rick growled, but he felt Mia's grip loosen. "Mia, I do care," he was facing her now. He didn't want it to go like this. This shouldn't be happening. He shouldn't have to explain himself, not now, while everything was so new.

Rick knew that saying it "wasn't like the way it was" was the wrong thing to say. He looked at Mia and he knew that she knew he had chosen the wrong words as well. Her lower lip trembled. Was it from the cold?

"What do you want, Michael?" he asked, but he continued to stare at Mia.

"I want you gone. All of you. By tomorrow."

Rick felt the heat rise in his chest and it took everything in him not to jump out of the pool and ring his neck. Maybe he should. He would be dead by tomorrow, anyway. Rick's group would not leave the safety of his house without a fight, he knew that much. Would Mia join him? He was unsure of the answer.

He opened his mouth to respond, but a small voice answered before he could. "No," Mia said softly. She was staring down into the pool. Rick could see her reflection. He saw a droplet of water fall from her chin and splash silently into the water. Was it a tear?

"Yes, Mia. This is not up for discussion. These people have been nothing but trouble since they've gotten here." He stared down his nose at Rick, his eyes narrowed into little slits. "He is only going to break your heart, Mia."

Mia swayed motionless in the water, her hands barely touched the surface. She stared forward, not at Michael but not at anything else either. It was so quiet. The groans of the walkers' invaded Rick's ears like a death sentence. He couldn't leave. He had to convince Mia.

"Mia," he started, but Mia lifted her hand and backed away.

"Just don't." She made her way to the side of the pool and began to pull herself up. Michael hurried over to her and offered a hand, but Mia bypassed it, as if it wasn't even there. She grabbed her clothes off the floor and disappeared up the stairs.

Michael stayed for just a moment longer. His usual slicked back hair was the messiest Rick had ever seen. There was a smug smile planted on his face. Then, without another word, he threw Rick's jeans into the pool and followed Mia up the stairs.

Rick stood eerily still for quite a while. He sat in the water until his toes were pruned and his hands were numb. The house loomed over him, threatening and demanding. His son was lying safe in his bed. His daughter was rocking away in her crib. He looked towards the Watch Tower and in the distance saw a candle light dance in the darkness. Daryl was given watch tonight. This was safety. This was protection. This was his.

He was not leaving.

Not without a fight.

…

Mia woke up the next morning to the faint sounds of yelling. She rolled over in bed and covered her ear with a pillow. Her head was pounding. She groaned and grumbled "shut up" to the noise, even though she was now only somewhat positive she had even uttered the words. She needed more sleep.

It wasn't until she heard the booming yell of Glenn that she sat straight up. Her mind went straight to action mode, and she threw the blankets off of her body and ran to her dresser. She pulled on a pair of jeans and boots and a black tank top. She ran out of the room, jumping down the steps two at a time.

There was no one in the kitchen. The yelling was now all outside. Mia stepped forward tentatively, afraid of what she was about to see. She saw an empty pistol sitting atop the counter. She touched it gently before taking a deep breath and looking out the large window.

The scene below was as horrendous as she imagined. There was a breech. The fencing was down. No, that was not possible. The government had installed the fencing specifically for this occasion. Walkers were pouring into the yard. Mia flinched as the sight of fallen horses. She wanted to puke. Her stallion. Her pregnant mare. They lie motionless in the bright green grass, their blood the only thing painting it red. The dogs? Were they still in the basement? She didn't see any.

And then when she couldn't worry about the animals she had to worry about the people. She didn't want to worry about them. They were all fine. They had to be.

She pushed her way through the sliding door and into chaos. Glenn and Maggie, both holding snipers and picking off the walkers down below, met her.

"Where have you been?!" Maggie asked, her eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"I-" Mia started.

"Get a gun!" Glenn yelled.

"Where is everyone else?"

Maggie grabbed Mia's elbow and over by the window. "I know you don't do this. I know you haven't experience what we have. But you _have_ to pull it together." Maggie's eyes were pleading. "What would your parents say?"

Mia frowned. "My parents?"

"You left them!" Maggie shouted. "You didn't even worry!"

Mia's head was swimming now. She didn't know what was going on. She pulled herself away from Maggie's accusing glare and grasped the deck like it was her lifeline. She searched for Rick. She searched for Jan and Jim. And before she could pinpoint certain figures, everything disappeared. The bodies. The horses. The walkers. They were gone. Mia ran around the deck. Screaming. She screamed until her voice was hoarse.

"Somebody!" she ran through the house, her footsteps loud against the wooden floors. She could hear music. Somebody was here. She followed the noise until she reached the large doors it was hiding behind.

Michael's door.

Mia placed her hand on the handle. It was so hot. Burning hot. Like there was a fire inside.

But when she opened the door there was no fire awaiting her. It was just Michael. His hair was slicked back like it always had been. He was smiling, his dimple outlined on his strong jaw. There was not a wrinkle on his suit. He stood above Rick and he smiled. He had his golden pistol against his head.

"Michael, no!" she screamed and reached for him but she could not move.

"Just know that you did this, Mia."

He pulled the trigger.

Mia awoke gasping for breath. Her chest lurched forward and back again, sweat pooling on the sheets under her. She felt sick to her stomach, a feeling she'd been growing accustom to since the farm incident. _It was just a dream_, she repeated, over and over. She pushed her hair back out of her face and struggled to catch her breath. Light seeped lazily into her room. It was morning.

She struggled to remember the previous night's events. She remembered heading downstairs to get a drink. She remembered Rick joining her. She remembered the way she felt being so close to him, like a fly is attracted to light. He was her light. So why did she feel so horrible?

The pool. Michael. He found them. She sat up, ignoring the protests from her sore body. Pushing herself out of bed, she walked over to her mirror. She touched the faint bruise on her cheek from Michael's hit and winced. She felt no pain, only weakness. She had left Rick in the pool. Michael would take that as victory.

She pulled on a blue tank top and baggy cut-off jeans accented with her regular work boots. She tied her hair up in a ponytail, ignoring the shorter pieces that fell against the nape of her neck. She needed to find Rick. She reached for the door handle and fell back in surprise when somebody threw it open before she could.

"Come downstairs. Now." It was Jan. Her face was twisted in a mixture of panic and dread. Mia's mind wandered briefly to her dream.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked as they raced down the long staircase, sometimes skipping two steps at a time.

"For now," she mumbled, before walking into the foyer of the large estate, where Michael currently stood standing with Jim. They were facing Rick's group. Michael had his golden pistol in his hand. He was wearing a dark suit and his hair was slicked back, professional as ever. He wore an ugly smile planted on his face.

"What is going on?" Mia stepped forward and everyone turned to look at her. She only had eyes for the man holding the gun.

"Ah, Mia! Just in time to see them off," he smiled at her and waved his gun in a beckoning to come closer. Mia eyed it warily and did not move. "Oh, this? Just for precaution, really."

"Put the gun down," she said, but Michael stood his ground as well. "What the hell is going on? What are you talking about?" She turned to Rick.

"Oh Mia," Michael laughed as if they shared an inside joke. "We discussed this last night. You and I both agreed that this group is not working here."

Daryl stepped forward and anger and Rick pressed a hand against his chest to keep him back.

"We're not leavin'," Rick said, his voice steady. He had his hand resting on his gun holder but he did not have his pistol on him. Mia knew that Michael had probably taken their weapons.

"Yeah Michael, you're being ridiculous. They've done nothing but help out since they've arrived," Jan said, crossing her arms around her chest.

Mia noticed Jim shift awkwardly where he stood. She walked forward and stood before Michael and in front of the group. "I did not agree to this. These are good people. For God's sake, Michael, they have a baby. And children! You'd be giving them a death sentence."

Michael's lip twitched in a disturbed way and Mia instantly flinched. Did he _want_ them to die? Could he be that sick?

"Mia, don't you remember our conversation from last night at all?" He cocked his head to the side like an innocent puppy. "Or were you just too drunk?" he spat the last word and she felt her entire body tense.

"I-" she stuttered, not sure what she had said.

"We haven't done anything," Glenn protested from the back of the group.

"You should ask your leader if that's true." Michael's dark eyes narrowed as he looked past Mia and into Rick's blue ones.

Mia glanced back at Rick who shook his head slightly. She remembered bits and pieces. She remembered her time with him. How could she forget saying something so important? She watched Carl look up at his dad, a question fiercely lit in his eyes.

"Rick, what is he talking about?" Carol asked from beside Michonne.

"He's talkin' a lod of bull shi'," Daryl grumbled as he briefly paced back and forward.

"Enough!" Michael suddenly,= yelled. He walked dramatically to the front door and threw it open. The barricades outside were like a fortress. "Get out."

Mia felt Jan next to her and she poked her with something on her thigh. Mia looked down for just a moment to see that Jan had taken a pistol from the weapons room. Mia nodded at her friend in understanding.

"We. Ain't. Leavin'," Rick's voice was almost hoarse with anger. Mia had never seen the fire in his eyes burn quite this bright before. She knew they had been bounced around from place to place since the beginning. They deserved this place. They needed it.

"You can have your weapons, I don't care. They're locked in the cellar. I'll have Jim go and fetch them for you. But you'll be outside my fence before I give them to you."

Nobody moved. Michael shook his head and chuckled briefly.

"I guess we'll have to do this the hard way."

In an instant, Michael was back over to Mia. He grabbed her by the arm and pressed the end of his golden pistol against her head. The group gasped in horror and Jan shouted, but Michael did not release his grip. His perfectly trimmed fingernails dug into her skin. He had his finger on the trigger.

"Leave now or I will shoot her."

Mia's heart thundered in her chest but she kept her face straight. She would not let him see her fear. She would not give him the satisfaction.

Rick's hard expression softened immediately. The ice blue fire in his eyes was put out, defeated. He knew there was no choice now. Mia would not die on his account. He clenched his jaw and glanced at Daryl, whose lips twitched in aggravation. Carol put a hand on Rick's arm and shut her eyes softly. They would leave. For now.

"Michael," Rick started, his voice smoother than before. "Don't do this. We can help you. We can protect you. We know what's out there," he pointed towards the open front door.

"Get out!" Michael screamed. A piece of his perfectly slicked hair fell onto his forehead. "Get out, get out, get out!" he stamped his foot like a child having a tantrum. Mia felt the end of the pistol jam into her head.

"Okay," Rick replied softly, putting his hands up. "We'll go."

"Rick, please. He's going to kill me either way, we both know it." She stared into him. "Don't risk your family for me, please."

Judith began to cry in Carl's arms. Abraham's reddened face looked ready to explode.

"Michael. Let her go."

The cool voice made everybody's head turn in unison. There was the click of a gun. Jan held it towards them, her bead of sweat trickling down her face. The pistol was pointed at Michael's head.

Instead of letting Mia go, Michael laughed loudly. He threw his head back and let out a booming noise. "I should've known, Jan. You were always loyal to her. Never to me, even after all I've done for you."

Jan did not reply. Her finger shook against the trigger.

"You won't shoot me." He narrowed his eyes like a challenge. "You can't."

"I can." Jan's lower lip began to tremble and water flooded behind her eyes. "Please don't make me do this Michael. We can still work this out. Just let Mia go."

"It's too late for that, Jan."

She pulled the trigger.

A/N: Okay, I am _SO _sorry for the delay! I have been so busy this past week it was hard to find a time to write. I do hope that you enjoyed this chapter… I promise I have the best twists and plans for this story so please continue reading and reviewing! And THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I seriously cannot express my thanks! And sorry the URL didn't work… I'm still new to this and did not realize they're weird in the story. I'll be sure to fix that. Thanks again! 3


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

"Mia, are you sure you're okay?"

The young, blonde girl looked up at her mother with soft admiration. She sat on the floor placing old sets of socks into a clear bin. Her long hair was braided and set softly against her shoulder.

"I'm fine, mom," she smiled. "Almost putting away these socks and then I'll be all moved in."

Mia's mother sat on the edge of the twin bed her daughter was now pushing the bin under. She laid a soft hand against the back of her head and sighed. Mia leaned against the bed and stared at the other side of the room.

"I wonder when she is going to get here." The bed was unmade, revealing a rough spiraling spring-filled mattress. The walls were bare and there was a spider web hanging loosely in the corner in the ceiling. Mia scrunched up her nose and her mother shook her head.

"Hopefully soon," she replied. "Are you sure you don't need anything else? A coffee machine or a refrigerator or maybe a-"

"Mom!" Mia laughed, exasperated. She stood up. "I'm fine. Really."

"I know you are." Mia's mother stood up, her lips pulled into a wide smile, her bright green eyes pooling with tears.

"Oh mom. Please don't cry," Mia turned her head to the side, afraid she would start crying as well.

"I just can't believe you're at college. My little girl," she touched Mia's cheek lightly with her fingers. Mia leaned into the touch affectionately.

"I'll call every night, okay? And I'll come visit first break, I promise."

"I hope so," her voice cracked.

Mia pulled her mother into an embrace. It was the kind of embrace that only a mother and daughter could truly understand. Mia had never remembered feeling so safe, but so scared at the same time. Her mother's matching blonde hair was curled so that it lightly touched the tops of her shoulders. Mia breathed in the scent of her favorite strawberry flavored shampoo. It was only when they heard the door creak open that they let go. A girl about Mia's age stepped inside.

"Sorry," she said, though her smile was bright. "I think I'm your roommate."

She held out her hand and Mia took it gently. "I'm Mia."

The girl with the long brown hair smiled. "Jan."

…

"Cheers," Mia clicked her glass against her friend's.

"To Miss Mia finally turning twenty-one," Jan said, before chugging down a shot of tequila.

Mia sucked down her shot as well and then threw her head back, laughing. "And to forever looking nineteen years old."

"I can't believe that bartender told you that you looked like a high school student," Jan shook her head, fighting back fits of giggling. "On your birthday, even."

"What are you gonna do?" Mia shrugged. "You'll be jealous when I'm forty and still look thirty five."

"Yeah, right," Jan rolled her eyes. "With all this time you spend in the sun you'll be looking like leather-skin by the time you're twenty-nine."

"Wow, you're so nice. Too bad you're already half-way there."

Jan snorted but touched her face lightly as if to make sure Mia was kidding. She threw her hand up signaling to the bartender they'd want two more shots. He nodded and began pouring.

"Do you think we'll always be like this?" Mia started, staring around the crowded bar, her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"What? Hot as hell?" Jan smiled as a waiter brought them their drinks.

Mia chuckled but shook her head. "Friends? I don't know. We're growing up, Jan. One more year of college and then we're off to the real world."

Jan huffed. "Yeah, maybe one more year for you. I changed my major so many times I don't think I'll be out of here until I'm thirty."

"Well, here's to being in college til' thirty," Mia laughed, holding up her drink.

"And here's to you being a successful marine mammal scientist, or whatever it is you're planning to do."

"Cheers."

…

"He told me he loved me," Mia whined softly. She was curled up on the couch, wearing flannel pajamas and clutching a stuffed bear she had had since she was a little girl.

"Yeah, he also told you he was a professional baseball player." Jan paced back and forward in front of her, shaking her head. "He was an asshole, Mia."

"But I loved him!" she countered, a tear slipping down her cheek.

Jan leaned down in front of her friend and wiped her tear away. "There will be a million and one Alex's, Mia. You will love each and every one of them dearly, but only one will return that love. Alex Mitchell was not the one, and that's okay. You'll find him."

"But I'm twenty-four years old. People my age are getting engaged… Hell, most of them are already married and I can't even keep a boy interested for more than a month!"

"That's exactly it!" Jan threw her hands up. "You keep dating _boys_. Find a man. Like me," she smiled.

"How did you get so lucky?" Mia smiled despite the tears that fell down her face. "It's not fair."

"I don't know," Jan replied honestly, staring into her friend's green eyes. "But when I'm with him, I just feel it, you know? He's the one."

Mia sniffed loudly and smiled. "I didn't know you could be so romantic."

Jan rolled her eyes and grabbed a phone off the end table next to her. "Cheese or extra cheese?"

"Extra cheese. And stuffed crust too."

"Garlic knots to start?" she smiled as she dialed the number.

"And cinnamon sticks to finish."

…

"What's going on?" Jan walked into the family room, buttoning up a suit jacket.

Mia was curled up on the couch, a bowl of cereal rested in one hand. "I don't know. Apparently there's some sort of virus that's spreading around. People are panicking."

"Oh, this isn't like that pig disease is it?" the older girl groaned, walking towards the window and running her hand through her hair.

"You mean swine disease?" Mia laughed. "No, I don't think it's like that."

"Do you think my hair looked better brunette? I'm not sure this natural blonde is working for me."

"I think you're hair is thanking you for not putting harsh chemicals in it to turn it a different color." Mia turned off the TV. She scooped up the remaining cheerios and stuffed them into her mouth before walking into the kitchen.

"Okay, how do I look?" Jan faced her, took a deep breath, and then smiled.

"I think your smile looks like you're about to kill everyone in the room."

Jan immediately frowned. "I'm just nervous, okay? You know I can't smile properly when I'm nervous."

Mia laughed and walked over to her friend, straightening her jacket for her. "You look very professional. He'd be an idiot not to hire you."

Jan pressed her lips together nervously and shook her head. "I don't know…"

"It's okay," Mia assured her. "Go kill it."

"I always do."

…

"Mia!" Jan reached for her friend in the crowd.

There were so many people. Her blonde hair blended in with all the other people running around. The alarm was so loud it made Jan's ears hurt.

"Mia!" her eyes frantically searched the faces. Mia was just in front of her. She was right there. Where did she go? A man ran into her shoulder and Jan flinched in pain.

"Jan?" she heard a voice call her name and she whipped around. Mia hurried towards her and grabbed Jan's hand. "Don't let go!" she yelled.

There were a few biters in the crowd. They latched out at everyone. A young man in a yellow hooded sweatshirt screamed as a biter took him down. Mia shut her eyes tightly. _This was nightmare_. _Just a nightmare_.

But when Mia's eyes opened again, the crowd was still there. The infected were still rampant. Jan was still clutching her hand desperately.

Mia almost lost grip with her friend when a man hurled towards her, his arm bleeding from where he was bitten. Mia tried to move but the crowd pushed her back. Her hand slipped out of Jan's. The man ran straight into her, blinded by fear. Mia fell against the cool concrete. And all went black.

…

Mia woke up on the couch in an extravagant room. There was a blanket made of velvet draped over her figure. Her head throbbed when she sat up, but she remained otherwise unhurt. She stood up slowly, taking in the natural light and the large windows of the living room she was in. A fireplace sat elegantly at the center of the room. Mia thought she smelled bacon.

Mia found Jan in the kitchen, staring out of a large window that looked out across a beautifully landscaped pool and a large barn. There were horses out there. The grass was so green. Mia stood next to her friend. Jan smiled.

"Where are we?" Mia asked softly.

Jan turned to her slowly, her face twisted into a fake smile. "We're home, Mia. We're home."

…

Mia sat beside the bed, her face fixated on the body resting upon it. Her chaotic hair fell forward so that it was in front of her face. Her eyes were dark and they did not move. Her backside ached from sitting upon the stool for so long, but she did not care. She did not move.

The window behind her was opened wide, letting in a cool breeze that sometimes ruffled Mia's hair even more. The sunlight poured in and swam against the white sheets, and had death not reeked in the room, it might be a beautiful scene. The girl involuntarily rocked back and forward.

Mia left the room only about twice a day to use the restroom. A younger girl with her hair braided to the side would bring her fruit and meals that Mia did not touch. Beth attempted to reason with her. She would not hear it.

Jim entered the room only once. He walked slowly. Mia did not look up.

"I'm so sorry, Mia," he muttered.

Mia did not respond.

"If you would just let me explain-"

"Get out." Her voice was hoarse from a lack of use.

"Mia, I had to do something!"

"I said, get out," she warned again.

"She was going to shoot Michael, I had to stop her!"

"GET OUT!"

Mia stood and pulled a pistol from her belt. Jim put his hands up in surrender. Mia's face was contorted in pain and misery. He had never seen her like this before. Her eyes were so narrow they were slits. Her hands shook but she continually aimed the pistol at the man.

"Okay, Mia. I'll go. I just want you to know that I'm sorry."

He left. Mia sat down slowly, dropping the gun beside her. Her forehead hit the mattress softly and she began to cry.

"I'm so sorry, Jan," she held her friend's hand. "I'm so sorry."

…

Rick came in on the sixth day. He knocked lightly on the door. Beth nodded in encouragement from beside him.

"Mia?" he said softly.

No response.

"I'm coming in," he said again. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. Maggie had been changing Jan's bandages but it still smelled like the metal scent of blood and infection. Rick held his breath until he got used to the smell and walked forward.

Mia's eyes flickered up to him briefly but she did not speak or move. He sat down at the bottom of Jan's bed and looked at the injured woman sadly.

Jim had shot Jan from behind. The bullet pierced her on her right side, and because he had been so close, it went straight through. Jan immediately fell to the ground. Surprised, Michael had loosened his grip on Mia and she had gotten away. Daryl immediately threw him against the wall, beating him down until he would not be able to fight back. Jan's life was now on the line and though Maggie had been able to clean at stitch the wound, Jan had not regained consciousness and it now smelled of infection.

"She could've ended it," Mia said softly, her voice breaking.

"I know," Rick replied.

"It's all wrong. She shouldn't be like this."

"Jim screwed up, Mia. He knows that."

"Screwed up?" Mia finally looked up at the older man, her eyes burning with pain. "She may as well be dead!"

"She can survive this, Mia. She's strong."

"It's been six days, Rick!" she held on to Jan's hand as if it were a lifeline. "Why isn't she waking up?"

"I don't know," he said softly.

"This is all your fault."

He looked up at her in surprise. Her eyes were narrowed dangerously. She lips trembled. "This shit didn't start happening until _you_ got here," she growled.

"Mia, I-"

"Why can't you just leave us alone!" she yelled. "Just go!" She stood up.

Rick matched her move and placed his hands in the air as Mia moved towards him. "Just go!" she shouted again, clenching her fists and pushing them into Rick's chest. She was weak. He wondered how long it had been since she'd eaten.

"Mia, please." He let her hit him until she could no longer lift her arms.

"Just go," she sobbed. "Just leave me alone."

He pulled her into him. She latched onto his shirt. He wrapped his arms around her. She cried.

"If that's what you want," he whispered into her blonde hair. "I'll go if that's what you want."

Mia did not respond. She just cried.

A/N: Okay so I decided to publish another chapter quickly, one, because I'm sick and very badly sunburned so I have nothing to do but sit in bed, two, because I left off with such a cliffhanger I wanted to post a new chapter, and three, because I took so long last time to post! So I hope this chapter helped… Maybe, maybe not, depending on how you feel about Jan and what Jim did and the fact that MICHAEL IS STILL ALIVE AHH. Anyway, thank you so much to the new followers and my amazing reviews! Special shout out goes to my-forgotten-rose and guest! Thank you SO much I LOVE YOU!


	11. Chapter Ten

The cellar was dark. Too dark. The only light streamed through cobweb ridden windows at the very top of the walls. But the man blindfolded on the chair would not know that. He may never see light again. His wrist twitched every so often against the harsh ropes that bound them together. His ankles did not have room to twitch against the bindings that kept him secure to the wooden chair beneath him. He blinked against the fabric covering his eyes. He wondered how long it had been.

A low growl came before him and he scoffed madly. "Oh, get off," he mumbled, his voice aching of misuse.

The dog stepped forward, encouraged by the man's words. His growl became deeper, longer.

The man laughed slightly, his head reeling. "Be of some use and go get me some water," he said to the dog. "Go get me some water you beast."

The dog snapped. The man thought he could feel the dog's breath against his leg. _Bite me, motherfucker_, he thought angrily. _End it. End it now!_

The sound of a door opening upstairs sent the dog scampering away. The man sighed and waited until the footsteps reached the concrete floor. There were two sets of footprints. Two sets of torture.

"I don't suppose you've brought any water?" the man asked, feigning politeness.

To his surprise, the cool mouth of a bottle was pressed harshly against his aching lips. Thinking too good to be true, he pressed his lips together until the sweet sensation of liquid dripped onto his now hair-covered upper-lip. He took a large gulp of water and nearly cried when the bottle was taken away.

"So you can speak," a voice mumbled. It was the Asian boy, Glenn.

"Ah, Glenn. How lucky to have you down here. You don't hit me quite as hard as the others," he chuckled.

A force to his face shut the man up immediately. That could be none other than Daryl's famous punch. He wished he could wipe the blood off his mouth. Instead it dripped down his chin.

"You ain't speakin' to us," the redneck whinnied.

"Then to whom am I speaking to?" the man in the chair asked, blinking rapidly against the fabric against his eyes.

"Mia."

The man in the chair leaned his head back as far as it would go. She would not be kind to him, he knew that. How could he make her see, he had only done the things he had done for love?

"Oh, is she coming to hear me out? Give me a second chance?" he knew the answer would be no. He knew she was coming to end his life. That would be why he was still here in the first place.

He heard the redneck grunt as he paced around the room. He heard panting and knew that the dog was pacing by his side. _Traitor_, he thought hopelessly.

"Now, tell me boys," he said, his voice cracking with every word. "What is the fate of our beloved Jan?"

Another hit to the face. The man was expecting that.

"You don' speak her name," Daryl growled. The man smiled a bloody smile. The girl was dead, then. That was all he needed to know.

The door opened again and three more pairs of footsteps made their way down the stairs. By now, the man in the chair had learned most everyone's footsteps. The sounds the made as walked down the stairs. The way they traveled down was almost like their fingerprints- no two people walked down the same way.

For example, the young girl Beth would come down at the beginning of his arraignment. She would bring a small glass of water and a stale piece of bread. Her footsteps were light, delicate, as if she did not want to be heard. He heard them though, he always did.

Her older sister Maggie chose to thunder down the steps. Her weight hit heavily against each stair, and it was almost as if she challenged herself to go faster each day. One day, Michael counted and realized it had only taken her four seconds to reach the bottom.

Rick's steps were very purposeful. He took them one at a time. His weight was heavy, but not like Maggie's. He was careful, but he knew exactly where each foot was going. And when he reached the bottom, the man in the chair knew exactly what was going to happen to him.

Rick was coming down now. And that woman, Carol. She had come down with Daryl a few times. Carol and Daryl, the man would sing.

The third set of footsteps he did not recognize, nor could he barely hear. The footsteps were light, and very slow. He felt a shadow loom over him and he smiled in anticipation.

The cloth was pulled off of his eyes.

He immediately squeezed his eyes shut again. Though the light was dim, he had been in the dark for so long now; any sort of brightness would make his eyes burn and water. He stared down at his hands and blinked a few times to help them adjust.

"Do you know why you're here?" A soft voice demanded from above.

The man raised his head slightly. There was a small body in front of him. Her tank top was bloodied and torn.

"The lights aren't really necessary, eh?" He could not look at her face. There was a bulb right next to it. The light was excruciating.

He was slapped. The slap was weak, but it stung, nonetheless.

"Would you people stop hitting me!" he shook his head, blood still oozed down his unkempt chin.

"Answer me." The voice came again.

The man laughed.

"Answer me," her voice broke.

The man laughed harder.

"Answer me!"

She grabbed him by his shirt collar and forced him to look at her. She was a mess. Her hair was crusted with blood. The whites of her eyes were replaced with red veins that revealed her lack of sleep. Her lips were almost as chapped as his were. But there was something there that hadn't been there before. Hate. Rage. Torture.

"Oh my, Mia," the man breathed. He wished he could reach out and touch her.

"Don't say my name," she mumbled. "Don't."

"You loved me once," he spoke softly, his eyes hovering over her friends in the back. They all had a gun. A gun for him.

"I never loved you."

Her eyes were weapons.

"We had a wonderful life, didn't we?" he smiled, staring up at the window that could lead to his freedom.

"You're a murderer."

"I've never killed."

"You never let anyone go, did you?"

Her eyes were madness.

He cocked his head to the side.

"You told us you gave them food. Water. Things to get them by. But it was all a lie, wasn't it?"

The man bit his lip. Hard.

"You killed them all, didn't you? Every poor person who came by this place? Who knew what you had? You killed them, and you lied to us. You killed them—

"I had to Mia!" He screamed as blood poured from the opening in his lip. The girl backed away from him. "Don't you see? Don't you see this world we live in?" He laughed again. "No, no. You never saw. You never saw how bad it could be. I took you in. I _saved_ your life! You never saw how bad it was!"

The girl's lower lip trembled. "There were children."

Michael stared up at the girl. "You would've never survived out there. You're too soft. I saved you."

"Why me? You kill everyone else. You save me, you save Jan, and you save Jim. Why us?"

"If I had left you in that clearing, they would've gotten you. You would be one of them. I saved you."

"Why me?" Tears flowed down her face. "Why me?"

"You think you could've survived out there?" He laughed. "You don't have it in you. You would've died. You'll always need me. I saved you."

"You knew this was going to happen. You knew about the biters. And you saved yourself. And you saved three other people to make yourself feel good."

"I loved you."

"You are a liar."

"I loved you, Mia."

"I _hate_ you." She leaned close to him and her eyes burned into his.

She stood up again and grabbed a knife from Carol. She looked at it almost lovingly. Michael closed his eyes.

"You're going to die, Michael." She stared at him through green eyes. "But I won't be the one to do it."

Michael felt wetness fall from his eyes. He was not crying. He knew this was coming. He would not cry.

"I knew you wouldn't kill me. You don't have it in you." His voice trembled but he kept his head high.

"No. But she does."

Mia stepped back into the shadows. Rick stepped forward now, and gently let down a body that he had been carrying in his arms. Michael had not noticed her.

Jan steadied herself with the help of Carol and stepped forward. The middle of her body was wrapped a few times. Blood stained her jean shorts.

"You did this to yourself, Michael." She held up a knife. "It was a group decision," she added, smiling.

His vision went black.

xx

A/N: Okay, firstly I should apologize- no, BEG for your forgiveness for leaving the story hanging. To be honest, I lost some interest in the story just because the season ended and I guess it hadn't been on my mind all that much. (Plus Game of Thrones season five was on and I'm finishing Supernatural… So yeah, I've been distracted. But I was re-reading it and think there's definitely still potential for this to keep going (starting with the end of Michael and the rebirth of Jan) and their new life. Will they stay at the house? Will Jan ever be the same? Will Daryl ever bathe? FIND OUT IF YOU KEEP READING MY STORY! Haha, but anyway, please leave a review and let me know if you'd like me to keep writing! I probably will but I do like reviews. Thank you to everyone who has previously reviewed and again, I'm so sorry I disappeared! Love you guys!

Madison.


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